Showing posts with label buy Presidency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buy Presidency. Show all posts

Friday, August 21, 2015

Washington 'asks' Wall Street to stop ripping us off

Regulators tell Wall Street to stop “depleting our retirement savings.”
Advisers can keep their "conflicted" commissions, but it's time to stop harming clients by depleting their retirement savings, says the chairman of the Labor Department's hearings on its proposed fiduciary rule. "We are absolutely not banning commissions," he says, a day after the hearings concluded. "We just want everyone who is working on retirement accounts to be acting as fiduciaries." Fiduciaries are legally bound to put their clients' best interests before their own when providing financial advice.

Citi may owe you money for misleading you—no one goes to jail
Citi mislead you about a ASTA/MAT fund and the Falcon fund by claiming they were “safe,” “low-risk” and “suitable” for traditional bond investors.
Brokers/advisors should never use the words “safe” “low-risk” or “suitable” without written proof from the owners of the firm/bank/fund. Avoid the Pimps!

Can regulators control former bosses?
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas has named Robert Steven Kaplan, a former Goldman Sachs executive as president.
This is a revolving door—lunch with your old buddies at our expense?

Farmers kill 500,000 cows so they can raise milk prices?
Most of the food we eat is produced and controlled by just 4 “farmers.” By a 1922 law, they can band together to market products and demand “fair” prices. Agribusiness has purchased most farmland and receives $956 Billion in subsidies (our taxes) to grow or not grow depending on “incentives.” These gifts are from our “representatives” who receive cash to continue the myth of the American farmer plowing his/her 200 acres 18 hours a day. Actually many of our “reps” receive $ millions themselves.  Sweet deal!

Plague from flees at Yellowstone
A second tourist who had been visiting California’s Yosemite National Park has been diagnosed with plague. A visitor from Georgia got tested after hearing that a camp ground had been closed to spray pesticides to kill fleas that carry plague.

What is your hospital’s rank for care you need?
Mayo tops the list for many care categories. What about yours?

How can you protect someone you are taking care of?
As a caregiver, the Office for Older Americans has put out guidelines for Managing Other People’s Money. You will learn how to protect them from scams and bad financial advice. How do you maintain communication with their family members?
Who will help you when you need it?

America’s real reality TV show: 2016 election—“you just can’t make this stuff up”
Trump to end citizenship as defined in the Constitution: citizenship granted to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.” 14th Amndt forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Congress has failed to end “birthright citizenship” many times. Supremes might revive racist Dred Scott for GOP!
Boston thugs say they were inspired by Trump to beat up homeless “Hispanic.” 1938?
Is Trump a citizen? Friedrich Drumpf emigrated from Germany.
Carson wants to reverse 14th Amendment too—all people born in America to foreigners lose citizenship. Is Carson a citizen?

Guess that leaves the American Indians to reclaim their land! Ms Liberty back to Paris?

Christie pays for his campaign with PA contracts—No bid contracts to his friends
Walker wants Congress to repeal ObamaCare again! 54 times so far; to get elected?
Kasich will close all teachers' lounges in schools across the country. De-fund schools?
GoP promises no regulations—China explosions had no regulations either.
RubioCare will reduce cost AND coverage for all but wealthy.

It’s getting hotter, despite what GOP says
July saw the highest average temperatures since record-keeping began -- globally, not just in the United States -- the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday

Is the 529 college savings plan better than credits deducted from your taxes?
If your joint income is under $160,000 you may receive a greater benefit by taking the tax credit up to $2,500 than by avoiding taxes on your 529 gains. (Tax on gain of 7% on $30,000 is only $525 in 25%-bracket.) Usually the credits are more valuable than the tax savings from a 529 distribution. Plus, 40% of the credit (up to $1,000) is refundable. When you use the 529 for any educational expense, you have to pay tax (but not penalties) on at least part of the money you withdrew from the plan in the previous tax year. Help from grandma’s 529 may hurt a child’s aid calculation in the next year.

CA valley sinking 13 inches in 1 year—infrastructure destroyed
Sucking water underground to grow crops may end growing before the usage regs slow it in 20 years in the San Joaquin Valley.

SCAMS
We are still wasting $8 million per HOUR we don’t have in Iraq/Afghan/Ukraine.
America needs to take care of American’s needs FIRST!
Rebuild America Act: a five-year plan would invest $1 trillion and create or maintain at least 13 million decent-paying jobs—Senate Budget Committee but GOP says no.

If you get a letter from the IRS, hackers may have stolen your data from IRS
“The IRS will begin mailing letters in the next few days to about 220,000 taxpayers where there were instances of possible or potential access to taxpayer information.” IRS is offering free credit monitoring services and a program that assigns them a special ID number that they must use to file their tax returns.

Edward Jones broker caught overcharging for munis—no jail time
Edward Jones has agreed to pay more than $20 million to settle SEC charges that it overpriced new issues of municipal bonds. “Because current rules do not require dealers to disclose markups on municipal bonds, investors receive very little information about their dealer’s compensation in municipal bonds.” Stina Wishman, Muni head, did not go to jail.

Steven Covey, Edwin Lichtig, and Rex Hofelter as Pension Funding, and Pension Income, caught deceiving consumers about the costs and risks of their pension advance loans. They gave lump-sum cash advances for agreeing to redirect all or part of their pension payments over a period of eight years.  NO JAIL TIME

Jacob Keith Cooper caught in fraud but no jail
Cooper, Total Wealth Management, had $90.2 million from clients and much of that money was lost. He got fees and kickbacks from the funds he was putting their money into. Regulators fined him but no jail time.

LA owes you money—overcharged for water, really?
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power would credit or refund tens of millions of dollars to customers who were overbilled during the botched rollout of a new billing system. Not even fired supervisor.

Springstone caught! NO jail time
Springstone Financial was ordered to provide $700,000 in relief to victims of deceptive credit enrollment tactics. Many consumers who signed up for Springstone’s deferred-interest loan product at dental offices to pay for dental work were led to believe that the product was interest free. In fact, interest accrued from the date of the consumer’s purchase and was charged if the balance was not paid in full before the promotional period ended. Approximately 3,200 consumers who signed up for the product ultimately were charged and paid deferred interest.

State Farm sued for using “junkyard” parts to fix cars—no jail charge.
State Farm steered their customers to the company's preferred repair shops, which sometimes use "junkyard," "knock-off" or "after-market" parts instead of those provided by the manufacturer. The result can compromise safety, as well as aesthetics. 

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
Montclair, NJ 07042
973.746.2014
Alerts 

Friday, May 15, 2015

Foreign governments buy our "reps"

This is why our “representatives” can’t fix the railroads, bridges, roads
Foreign governments secretly buy our “reps” by giving money to “not-for-profits” who then pay for goodies. Congress people can say “I didn’t know.” Azerbaijan (N of Iran and E of Turkey) and several large energy companies sought exemptions for a $28 billion natural gas pipeline project in the Caspian Sea from U.S. economic sanctions being imposed on Iran. This is how our “reps” make decisions; not what is best for us.
When did you last buy your “rep” gifts to get a better deal for your family?

Perfect Graduation Gift
Every parent and grandparent has the same advice about achieving their money goals in life—I WISH WE HAD STARTED INVESTING SOONER. To get them started, they need to know why the greatest investor of our time Warren Buffett credits the Miracle of Compounding, NOT stock picking, as the reason for his wealth. Your graduate can turn $8 a day into a $250,000 Wealth Reserve in only 21 years, $1/2 Mil in 27. Einstein said, “The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest.” Their wealth can double every 7 years because of compound interest. Help them be successful: http://www.amazon.com/The-Simple-Financial-Life-paycheck/dp/1441499326

Take your maximum SS benefits before the GOP cuts them!
Top contenders for Prez want to limit our payout so make sure you get yours now. EG: John took 3/4ths benefits at age 62 because he had no job. His wife Liz was still working and wanted to go for the maximum at age 70. Liz filed for John’s spousal benefits at her full SS age of 66. Liz kept her own benefits growing with higher wages each year and at the same time, collected ½ John’s full benefits. This way John got his full benefits even though his SS amount will be reduced for the rest of his life. So together in 2013 they received $2,564 a month instead of just $1,542. When Liz turned 70 and still wanted to work, she received her max benefit. In 2015, she receives $2,709 and John receives his inflation-protected $1,580(-$100 tax) a month—annually $51,468—perhaps $1,411,360 over 20 years. Each year that Liz works, her SS benefit will increase as she adds another high-earning year to her SS account base. Her new benefits are recalculated each year on her new 35-year PIA base. Of course, because she and John have other income, they must pay tax on up to 85% of those benefits. Both were in lower-paying careers.

DEM crazies
Bernie Sanders will never be President but Americans love his policies. Health care without the F***ing paperwork, path to citizenship, fair tax for wealthy, bring troops home, break up banks, 2 years free education, cut corp election buying, tax carbon emissions, and use common sense again. Bernie even has simple solutions to the future SS benefits problem without GOP cuts. Bernie is a NOT Congressional millionaire and has no corporate donors so he can NEVER be Prez. Supremes decided cash buys winner.

Obama gives “green” to Shell to drill up Artic ice—Ms Palin can watch drill baby drill
Sign of a new direction or new gig for Obama after 2016? The Interior Department decision is a devastating blow to environmentalists, who have pressed the Obama administration to reject proposals for offshore Arctic drilling. Environmentalists say that a drilling accident in the icy and treacherous Arctic waters could have far more devastating consequences than the deadly Gulf of Mexico oil spill of 2010, when an oil rig explosion killed 11 men and sent millions of barrels of oil spewing into the water.
Do we need this oil now?

GOP crazies
Huckabee says he will not cut SS or Medicare but he shared no details—just trust him?
All the rest GOP want to cut benefits and give more to donor corporations/wealthy. GOP thinks the money we paid forward for these benefits are really “entitlements” like welfare, food stamps and corporate subsidies they change every year. The millionaire Congress still thinks we did not earn our benefits because we don’t have a big bank account like they do!

Bush III will use W (WMDs) as his guide on Middle East policy!?
Is he serious? Bush II was the one who invaded Iraq on false pretenses and fell for the BS about Saddam helping 9/11 terrorists. W’s people said invasion over in weeks and won’t cost us a single soldier. Iraq is the 2nd longest war in US history after Afghan and has cost us 4,500 lives plus $3 TRILLION some of which went to Cheney’s Halliburton firm. Iraq lost 200,000 lives so far.

TX gone to the dark side?

Christie can’t escape (“I didn’t know what staff doing”) his scandal in NH
NH pub audience asks how he could not know what his secretary is doing. Commentator asks isn’t revoking Social Security a Madoff-type “bate and switch”? Christie yells him down. Christie has given teachers’ pension money to his political supporters as “investment management fees”--$1.5 billion since 2010—double the usual rate—and still underfunded. He uses NJ state credit card to buy $76,373 in snacks at Wegmans Food Markets in 53 shopping runs and $82,000 at MetLife Stadium and NJ policy helicopter runs to son’s games. He vetoes environmental cleanup bill after taking EXXON’s $200 million instead of $9 billion judgment.

GOP budget includes repeal of ObamaCare with NO alternative for millions
Congress adopts a budget that will allow Republicans to repeal or revise ObamaCare. GOP set-up for failure in 2016?

We are given entertainment as “news”
It appears that our media industry has learned that there is money in “news” as entertainment. Most of what we call “news” is really HALF lies. Only the politically active takes “news” seriously—anchoring their political views in an aura of “facts.” America went thru the McCarthy period with politicos using “facts” to crucify the other side. We are there again. No one is looking out for America as America.

Is a hedge fund investment right for you?
Hedge funds are supposed to be where the big money sits, but their investors are NOT so happy now. Your pension money may be making the managers rich but that doesn’t help you. The top 25 hedge fund managers reaped $11.62 billion in compensation in 2014, according to Alpha magazine. Your pension fund would have earned 13.5% and 11% long term if they had stuck with a simple low-cost market index. "Professional money management is a gigantic rip-off," according to money manager Bill Gross.

CR’s 5 best and worst picks—has your ride arrived?

Is a certified non-commission advisor at 1/3 the cost right for you?
Vanguard has slashed the investment minimum for its Personal Advisor Services program that combines a human financial advisor and online features. Instead of the $500,000 minimum Vanguard requires only $50,000. A Vanguard financial advisor discusses your financial goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance. A certified advisor creates a custom-tailored financial plan consisting of a portfolio of Vanguard mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. The annual fee is 0.30% of your assets, plus the fees for funds contained in your portfolio. Admiral Share funds cost between 0.05 to 0.19 percent. Vanguard will limit the all-in costs to roughly 0.45 percent.

Was your child paying half of your support when they passed?
You can collect a parent SS benefit of 80% of your child’s future SS benefit. Even if you are receiving your own SS benefits, you can collect the larger of the two amounts. Check https://www.socialsecurity.gov/forms/ssa-7.html or call 1-800-772-1213.  

Zimmerman gets shot this time—FL menace?
Zimmerman was involved in more gun violence this week. After getting off for killing an unarmed black teen going home from the store, Zimmerman was shot by another driver who he had had some dispute with before. Violence seems to be his way.

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.
We are building another military base for Japan at Henoko. Air Force Gen. Ronald Fogelman admitted that the Marines “serve no military function there. They don’t need to be in Okinawa to meet any time line in any war plan.”

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. Former Saddam army now ISIS. We are wasting $4 billion a year on Afgan tribal rivalries; paying ransom to Al Qaeda; supporting corruption with our money.

BoAmerica gives Justice Dept B.S. instead of mortgage relief
Patti Coleman, a Florida borrower, received a letter from Bank of America this year. In it, the bank told Ms. Coleman it was pleased to approve her “for a full principal forgiveness” of $54,732 in a home equity line of credit. Citing the Justice Department settlement as the impetus for the letter, the bank said she would “no longer owe” that amount. But Ms. Coleman has not owed this money since she filed for personal bankruptcy in 2010. “In my Chapter 7 filing, the debt was extinguished,” she said in an interview on Tuesday. “They can’t come back to me and try to collect.” There are many cases in which Bank of America ends up claiming credit for such loan forgiveness actions under the Justice Department deal.  The bank receives extra credit under the settlement — more than one dollar for every dollar of loans “forgiven.”

G.M.’s Ignition Switch Death Toll Hits 100—murders that GM got away with!
The toll far exceeds the 13 victims that G.M. had said last year were the only known fatalities linked to ignitions that could suddenly cut off engine power and disable airbags.
And as the number of victims mounts, the ignition-switch crisis is cementing its status as one of the deadliest automotive safety issues in American history. There are still 37 death claims and 589 injury claims that are under review, the fund said. The new GM says it is not liable for the deaths since the old GM went bankrupt.
Greatest murder cover-up in auto history.

Nationwide is “on your side” until it cost them money
Nationwide Mutual Insurance, whose slogan is “on your side,” will pay regulators $8 million fine because it delayed orders and changed the price of your mutual funds AFTER your purchase.  

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
Montclair, NJ 07042
973.746.2014
Alerts 

Friday, September 5, 2014

Is a tax-FREE account right for you?

Is a tax-FREE investment account right for you?
The Roth IRA is an IRS-approved trust to turn your investment earnings from taxable to tax-FREE. Your $3,000 annual contribution can be worth $30,000 in time—And it is all FREE of federal and state tax. This deal is better than Warren Buffett’s 17% tax rate. Even better than the 15% rate that John Kerry and Mitt Romney pay. With more corporations paying ZERO tax (actual tax rate 12.6% not 39%), you can now pay your fair share with an IRS-OK tax shelter: http://www.amazon.com/The-Tax-Shelter-Americans/dp/1500426520

Corporations, like the wealthy, pay fewer taxes and can “buy” elections
Business taxes used to make up 30 percent of federal revenue following World War II. Now corporate taxes have dwindled to 10 percent of government revenue, and some years the percentage has dipped to 6.6 percent. The wealthy like Buffett, Kerry, and Romney pay 17% or less of their income in total tax—about half that of the average person. The Supreme Court decided in 2010 that a corporation has free speech like a person and can spend whatever they like to move elections their way. Pay your fair share, not their share: http://www.amazon.com/Tax-FREE-Income-000-tax-free/dp/1477472584

Can you leave your money alone to work for you?
Find out HOW to keep your money working and turn $250 a month into $6,666 per month later. Set it and forget it. Don’t let your money go on unemployment.

What would you do if stocks were on sale (price drop)?
Would you buy more like Warren Buffett or sell and hold cash as your gut advises? This is the question that we all must face as we try to reach our goals. It is a question that is easy to answer if you have a time frame in mind for your money. What is the one investment that has provided over 11% a year return for the last 30 years? It requires YOUR control of yourself not the market and not your broker/advisor.

GOP crazies
“We ought to bomb them back to the stone age.” Typical Cruz solution to any problem. Addressing the Koch Bros summit in Dallas, Ted Cruz and Rick Perry rallied their army to fight ISIS, since Obama has “no strategy” to fight. All were moved to give dollars not lives. Talk is filling PACs for 2016 war.

We are already supporting Stone-Age regimes?
Saudi Arabia's religious police beat up a British resident of Riyadh because he and not his wife paid for groceries at a women-only cash desk. Only women are allowed to pay at females-only cash desks in the kingdom. A man accompanied by female family members can stop at such desks so long as a woman deals with the cashier. A video showed a police agent jump out of his car and attack the Briton and a woman in black abaya cloak outside a supermarket. Police later apologized saying “mall security” should have dealt with the man. Riyadh buys US weapons while the Saudi’s fund terrorist groups. Three other Arab countries are listed as sources of militant money: Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

GOP crazies “retired” to $1.8 Million
The Tea Party dumped Eric Cantor, but he is laughing all the way to the banks on Wall Street. Just as many former elected officials, he won his big paycheck AFTER their time in office. He will earn a base salary of $400,000, plus a $400,000 signing bonus and $1 million in restricted stock, according to the bank’s SEC filing. It is all a power game to them. Cantor will lobby for banks in DC.

Are brokerage disputes right for you?
When you give your money to a broker or advisor, you sign away your right to sue them for bad behavior. You must present your dispute to an arbitration panel made up of retired industry folks who make good money from the brokerage industry for good decisions. BEWARE: this will not be a fair fight. Consider 80-year-old Mabel Strobel’s case. Even after getting a judge to make the panel reconsider their stupid decision to charge her, Morgan Stanley can drag out the legal battle forever. Mabel isn’t getting younger. Better to make Wealth Without Wall Street: http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Without-Wall-Street-Commissions/dp/1442168137

Are lottery tickets right for you as an investment?
Business Insider found that low-income households spend 9% of their income on lottery tickets. You have better odds of becoming a millionaire by investing that money every month in a basic tax-FREE account. Invest 9% now and spend 9% of your winnings tax-FREE later. In the last 30 years, your money would have earned 11.11% in a simple stock market fund. Every “ticket” you buy is worth 100 times the amount later. The winners are here: http://www.amazon.com/The-REAL-999-Plan-Invest/dp/1469917580

Double your money every 6 years
The stock market index crossed 2000 this year. In 2009, the index was 1000. You doubled your money in 6 years. Yet Wall Street claims they can beat the market. Most mutual funds and stock jockeys did NOT. Because there is no perfect system or stock picker, the market gained about 11.11% in the last 30 years and FEW did better. Some years it was down 20%, but it would take you 30 years to double your money in a CD. So there really are TWO types of money—money for fixing your car and money for fixing your retirement. You need both.

Wealthy upset with advisor’s fees too—paying more getting less
Harvard’s alum are upset that their school endowment earns less than an index fund but pays advisors DOUBLE what it paid just 3 years ago. Harvard’s fund has not regained its pre-crisis level despite the market doubling. Yale and other schools earn more and pay less. 324 advisors don’t make a richer endowment; they just make advisors richer. CALpers pension fund is moving to index funds to earn more and pay less.

Buy American?
CR says these are the best American-branded cars by class and size. None are completely made in US. Some do not have high reliability ratings from the 3-year old owners. Some make great used cars. Shop and compare online for the car and the insurance: http://www.amazon.com/Vehicle-Insurance-Beware-Double-Coverage/dp/1480027634


SCAMS           Why are we still paying $700 Billion a year for WWII deployments?
We are paying for 164,253 of our active-duty armed personnel to be in 150 countries around the world. We have about 50,000 in Japan and 50,000 in Germany.
Are we preparing for WWII again? There are 1,208,083[1] armed personnel in the United States. Our taxes pay for about HALF of the WORLD’s military expenditures every year. We 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 for their own defenses.

Who owns your account now?
Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg's Swiss wealth management to Notenstein.

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
Montclair, NJ 07042
973.746.2014
Alerts

Friday, April 4, 2014

Best Annuity Strategy: Income and Growth

The Best Annuity Strategy
^Create a stream of income at low cost
^Keep your nest egg growing to beat inflation
^Build assets for medical emergencies and a legacy
^Use the Warren Buffett retirement strategy
We need a strategy to succeed in retirement too
We want to have enough money to do whatever pleases us and yet we don't know how long we will be able to do those things we love. We can create an inflation-proof income for the rest of our lives without giving up control of our assets.


Is your employer costing you HALF your retirement money?
Employers like ABB are warned—cut 401k fees or pay $13 million to reimburse employee participants. ABB, Inc did not “monitor its plan’s internal costs and paid excessive fees by not negotiating for rebates from investment companies whose funds were offered in the plan.” According to Vanguard’s John Bogle, you can give up 63% of your nest egg when your 401k mutual fund fees are high. Don’t let your employer gamble with your future: http://www.amazon.com/Tune-your-401k-EARN-Tax-FREE/dp/1490591028

Your fees give brokers big raises
Major firms boosted payout for their top managers last year as they place more emphasis on advice division. Gregory Fleming, the president of Morgan Stanley's wealth and investment management units, saw his bonus jump to $4 million, up 62%, according to filings. “And if you're charging fees on average assets over each year, it can provide predictable fee streams over multiple years.” When your account grows, your advisor’s grows even more. Keep what you have earned: http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Without-Wall-Street-Commissions/dp/1442168137

WARNING Variable annuities can hurt you
Variable annuities could spell double trouble for brokers who eye fat commissions but ignore the rules in place for protecting investors.
Brokers can earn 7 percent or more in commissions on these insurance products, but when they sell them to consumers who aren't a good fit for them, they can face the wrath of regulators as well as investors who try to reclaim their money by filing securities arbitration cases.
At the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Wall Street's industry-funded watchdog, variable annuities follow stocks and mutual funds as the third most common source of complaints. They include one from an elderly investor who will be 102 before he can access the money he locked into his annuity. This warning was sent to your broker:

MetLife brokers caught pushing annuity scheme
Two former brokers for MetLife Securities allegedly engaged in a seven-year scheme to inflate commissions by having customers switch $21 million in annuities, says regulator Finra in a complaint. Use the annuity without a 7% commission:   http://www.amazon.com/Your-FREE-Annuity-Stream-Lifestyle/dp/1497438616

GOP Presidential slate being decided this weekend!
Potential 2016 GOP candidates court mega donor Adelson ($38 Billion) during Vegas weekend. If Adelson likes what he hears at his Republican Jewish Coalition, he might give winner $100 million like last election. Always follow the money.

Supremes decided to let the rich decide election results from now on
If you're rich and want to give money to a lot of political campaigns, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that you can. Just like their Citizens United decision, those with money can now have unlimited influence on who becomes President and Congress so they can provide subsidies to their friends. If you are rich, you can pay the candidates for access on your issues. If you have a company, you can let your lobbyist pay the candidates indirectly. Either way, your taxes will go to what they want not what we need. Two Americas.

Koch brothers can now pay for any and all elections—President and Congress
Total spending in the 2012 federal election - for the White House and every open seat in Congress - was $6.3 billion. Each of the Koch Brothers is now worth about $40 billion. They each gained about $6 billion (15%) last year.
How much does our vote count?

ObamaCare saves money for young insured too
Young people with expensive health insurance (employer does not offer coverage) may be saving hundreds a month due to the ObamaCare subsidy for low wages. Subsidies can be over $200 a month, paying almost the total cost of a silver comprehensive plan. Don’t let Exxon take all the subsidies. Use your share to get what you need: http://www.amazon.com/Health-Insurance-ONLY-right-policy/dp/1480125083

Ted Cruz asks his Facebook ‘friends’ about Obamacare, gets an earful
It's probably fair to say that he didn't expect the tsunami of "YES" votes that have shown up on the page among the 47,000 that Facebook says have been posted. Respondents have listed, among other things, their newfound ability to obtain coverage despite preexisting medical conditions, the right of young adults to stay on their parents' policies to age 26, lower premiums and the end of lifetime benefit limits. 

Tax overhaul domed before it even gets a hearing—lobbyists kill it
The twist reflects how lobbying in Washington — and the millions of dollars in fees that lobbyists collect — are often about stopping action and preserving the status quo. Whenever Congress considers major changes to the tax code, lobbyists buy “insurance” on both sides of the fight. It also reflects a pivot by lobbyists who had spent months cheering Mr. Camp’s three-year effort to draft this giant package, given that its stated purpose was to lower corporate tax rates and simplify the tax code, and who are now working to make sure that the tax package never becomes law.


Cellphone use causes accidents
The National Safety Council's annual injury and fatality report, "Injury Facts," found that the use of cellphones causes 26% of the nation's car accidents, a modest increase from the previous year. The 2014 edition of the report compares data from 2013 and earlier. Only 5% of cellphone-related crashes occur because the driver is texting. The majority of the accidents involve drivers distracted while talking on handheld or hands-free cellphones. It is the distraction of communication that kills. IL bans hand-held cell use.

Why let people build in unsafe areas?
After Sandy, the Oso landslide in Washington State brings this question again. But things are rarely simple when government power meets property rights. The government has broad authority to regulate safety in decisions about where and how to build, but it can count on trouble when it tries to restrict the right to build. “Often, it ends up in court,” observers say. Perhaps as more expensive cleanups raise all our insurance costs, it may occur to Congress to ask those who live in dangerous areas to pay more for the “right” to live dangerously. Our “Reps” in Washington just did the opposite. They reduced the cost of flood insurance for homeowners living in the new flood zones. This means we will all pay more. Many clients in NJ saw rates soar even though they had no claims from Sandy. So, danger lovers, enjoy the shore and mountains while you can!

“Deficits don’t matter” Dick Cheney told the Treasury Secretary in 2002
As of March 2014, American consumers owed $11.52 trillion in debt, an increase of 1.6% from last year. The average household owes $7,115 on their credit cards and the average indebted household owes $15,252. A 2013 study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that nearly half of workers had less than $10,000 saved. http://www.amazon.com/The-Simple-Financial-Life-paycheck/dp/1441499326

Torture helped us find terrorists, Cheney said—also a lie
Torture does not produce good answers according to FBI and actual CIA officers. Americans need good analysis of actions to made good decisions. We aren’t like military regimes that make up the “truth” to do what we want … or are we?

Killing people OK in FL and at auto makers
Apparently, it is OK to kill people in FL if you SAY you FELT threatened or if you are a big company making cars that you know can fail from preventable cause and people are killed. GM is the latest auto maker to hide behind legal BS to avoid responsibility, just like some people in FL. Romney was wrong: Corporations are NOT people. They don’t go to jail, they just go bankrupt, get bailed out and pay a fine.  


SCAMS           Why are we still paying $700 Billion a year for WWII deployments?
We are paying for 164,253 of our active-duty armed personnel to be in 150 countries around the world. We have about 50,000 in Japan and 50,000 in Germany.
Are we preparing for WWII again? There are 1,208,083[1] armed personnel in the United States. Our taxes pay for about HALF of the WORLD’s military expenditures every year.
We just can’t afford to pay for everyone else’s defenses anymore.
DoD head Hagel proposes budget cut but still pay for Lockheed F35 plane failures.

Transamerica Financial Advisors overcharged thousands of clients by failing to uniformly offer breakpoint discounts across the firm, even after regulators pointed out the problem at one branch office, the Securities and Exchange Commission said.
The St. Petersburg, FL firm agreed to refund or credit 2,304 current and former client accounts a total of $553,624 and to pay a fine of the same amount to settle the commission's allegations, which were announced in Washington on Thursday.

Who owns your account now?
Lincoln Benefit Life to Resolution Life Holdings

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
Montclair, NJ 07042
973.746.2014
Alerts 

Friday, June 8, 2012

How much can you spend in retirement?


Do you know how much you can spend in retirement?

Check your plan before you hit retirement. You have time to fix it if you don’t have enough. You can check your Social Security benefits online at http://www.ssa.gov/mystatement/. Complete the worksheet for definite answers in

Your Retirement Spending Plan




Did you know your 401(k) fees may be 46 percent higher than fees required?

Most of us don’t know how much we are paying. Most of us believe the Wall St myth: Employees believe that higher fees guarantee higher returns, according to a recent study. Actually, the opposite is true. Lower fee index funds often have higher net returns than higher fee actively managed funds. Stock pickers can’t pick the right stocks all the time AND charge fees that are up to 40 times higher--$5 per $10,000 vs. $271 every year. Compare your plan to others: http://www.brightscope.com/401k-rating/367778/Google-Inc/372789/Google-Inc-401K-Savings-Plan/

Most mutual fund holders can save $3,000 a year on fees by switching to the low-cost leader and NOT suffer poor returns. Over time, our members have increased their nest egg by $200,000 to $500,000 by using the two low cost firms: http://www.amazon.com/Create-Your-Tax-FREE-Financial-System/dp/1466367466/





Can you save on home insurance claims?

Yes. Basic maintenance can save the expense and time of home losses. Here is a checklist of things that you can do: https://www.travelers.com/personal-insurance/renters-insurance/home-maintenance-guide.aspx#spring



Need an unbiased planner to check your plan?

Vanguard, owned by its shareholders, not the fund managers, is offering planners to help you make sure you have what you need. Trained to advise not sell, these Vanguard employees may help you with little or no cost to you because you are a shareholder.




Women lack nest egg for retirement and live longer—Double disaster GOP could fix

There's a gender gap in the workforce, and it needs to be addressed. Women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn -- 64 cents for African American women and 56 cents for Latinas -- which adds up to a loss of about $431,000 over the course of their professional lives. No one, on either side of the aisle, wants women to be discriminated against in the workplace. And yet, the Paycheck Fairness Act failed in the Senate on Tuesday. The procedural vote was along party lines, with 46 Republicans voting against it, 50 Democrats voting for it, two independent senators joining the Democrats, and Republican Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois not voting at all. Members create tax-FREE fund for family survivor:




ObamaCare benefits unknown to 80% of Americans

78 percent of consumers who would be eligible for new health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have never heard of the state-based health care exchanges where they will have to shop for coverage beginning in 2014. In addition, 60 percent of respondents said they believe they will need help in understanding health care insurance terms and descriptions and navigating the complex health care system. It is no wonder that the public is unfavorable.



Can GOP buy the President position next?

Unions outspent by Koch’s governor Walker in WI—a 21 to 3 ratio election dollars

"This is one election," Chris Fleming, the media director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, told Yahoo News of the recall, adding that the left was heavily outspent in this race. "We cannot compete with the Koch brothers and all of Walker's millionaire and billionaire megalomaniac friends who want to take control of the government." Walker personally raised about $21 million, significantly more than the $3 million raised by Democratic challenger Tom Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee. And Walker additionally benefited from major spending by outside tea party groups and super PACs.



SCAMS           “Only the little people pay taxes.” Leona Helmsley



AFLAC’s duck gets plucked for messing with customer cash

State split up $1.6 million settlement with Nebraska-based American Family Life Assurance Co., known as AFLAC, after a multistate investigation found numerous problems with the insurance company's practices. Regulators found almost every insurer scam that has been practiced over the years, including agent promises not from insurers, duplicate coverage, churning, pushing bad products, changing dates, rebating and illegal incentives. AFLAC gets to continue these until December because they didn’t admit they were wrong. The $1.6 million will be added to the premiums. No one goes to jail. 

-- Lack of proper supervision of sales, ads made and distributed by insurance agents/brokers, and bonuses and other incentives

-- Sales of duplicate accident and health coverage

-- Sales of policies that replaced or converted existing ones

-- Cross-border sales

-- Suitability/overselling

-- Policies that had waiting periods

-- Record retention and claim-date stamps

-- Discounts and special offers

-- Offering value-added services

AFLAC has not admitted or denied any legal violations. The company agreed to submit compliance reports to the department every six months for a total of three years, starting this December.



Cult leader lived on members death benefits but now charged with murder

The self-proclaimed leader of a Kansas commune that lived off life insurance payouts of its dead members has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of premeditated first-degree murder. Sedgwick County District Judge Clark Owens entered the order Thursday at the end of a preliminary hearing for 52-year-old Daniel U. Perez. Perez is accused in the 2003 death of Patricia Hughes at a compound near Wichita. It was initially listed as accidental. Defense lawyers contended there was not enough evidence to put Perez on trial. Owens disagreed and scheduled a jury trial for July 30.

Life insurance policy requires the beneficiary have an “insurable interest.” Was Hughes Perez’s wife? Was agent in on another scam gone bad?



IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ 07042

973.746.2014


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