Showing posts with label corporate welfare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corporate welfare. Show all posts

Friday, July 17, 2020

Was your advisor advising you during this volatile period?


Retirement fund catch up strategy with same dollars
If you feel you need to catch up with your retirement fund you are not alone. Thousands have had their accumulations stopped by the virus pandemic. Some were laid off and some had their employer 401k match stopped. With a new investment option, you can restore your retirement fund goals—and you can do it with the same contribution dollar amounts. Whether you are saving in a 401k, IRA or Roth IRA or other pension plan, the key to meeting your long-term goals with the same level of portfolio risk is cost. First, find out what you had been paying for your investment options. For example, if you were paying total commission, annual expenses and 12b-1 fees of 1%, you will end up with $80,000 less than you would if you paid HALF that amount annually. Most investors have investment options that cost less and produce the same annual returns over time. By using the less costly version, you can reach your planned end number even though you have lost some time investing. If you keep giving away that extra 0.5% to your current fund provider, you will need to add an extra $1,400 a year to reach your total target accumulation. Switch to the best low-cost funds available.

Is “modified value investing” right for you?
Expensive advisors at Bank of America claim their “quality plus value” approach would have led to continued outperformance after the financial crisis. Value investing has been lagging the growth style for some time. Value investing is usually means stocks that appear to be trading for less than their intrinsic or book valueValue investors actively ferret out stocks they think the stock market is underestimating. Growth investors tend to favor small, young companies poised to expand, expecting to profit by a rise in their stock prices BofA said its “quality meets value” stock screen turned up names like Intel, Verizon, Coca-Cola and UPS. But BofA is really talking about ‘blue chip’ stocks. The four examples given above are not trading at “less than their intrinsic value.” They are in most consumer and pension portfolios. Since Warren Buffett is known as a value investor, his recommendation for most investors is to stick with the low-cost index and keep the high-cost stock pickers’ fees. Plus you own these stocks via the index.

We each pay $10,739 for health care so rich have the best
We spend DOUBLE what other countries spend but we get sick and die earlier. All the spending goes to care for the wealthy. There is no basic care for each of us. Even the middle class earning over $100,000 a year will be unable to afford care if they lose their job. This so-called “Free-market” system is a means of subsidizing the wealthy and owners of the hospitals, drug firms and insurance firms that lobby our Reps to keep the windfall growing. Our life expectancy—one measure of poor healthcare—has been falling since the ‘90s while other developed countries has been rising. In 2017, the Swiss lived 5.1 years longer than Americans but spent 30% less per person, for instance. We spend more than any other country for care but we get less. We don’t negotiate drug or procedure prices unlike almost every other industry. That is not capitalism, that’s socialism for the rich. Compare what is happening in the financial sector—lower commissions, more access to info, more service choices, lower costs overall. If you have a serious illness, your hospital, doctor and drug bills are full of overcharges that bankrupt most people even when they have great insurance. A ‘free’ virus test can cost $2,121.

Was your advisor advising you during this volatile period?
One-third of investors said their professional was nowhere to be found during the pandemic, according to a new study by J.D. Power. Since most folks who pay advisor fees say they pay so they have someone to discuss their situation with, it seems their advisor is getting paid for no work. Since fees can rob us of up to 63% of our total possible accumulations, it does not seem fair to give up so much for so little. Advisors are not going to know what to do in this market since we have never faced a soaring market with 50 millions out of work. Advisors give out common sense and call it “professional” service. Paying a 1% fee every quarter does not seem terrible until we look at our returns. If we earn 3% total return and we pay 1%, we are not being served well. Is your advisor a trustworthy resource in times of trouble or just an expense? There are alternatives. This is the time to make the change since earnings will be low for the foreseeable future. Unless your advisor cuts costs, you lose.

Tax return due July 15: Extension automatic with form
If you could not meet with your preparer and can’t complete the online tax return using one of the FREE software programs, you can obtain an extension to October 15 just by filing a form with an estimate of what you owe. IRS wants the money—the return can wait—since they have 3 years to find any errors. Fill and print and pay form:  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4868.pdf  Paper return refunds delayed again. No folks.
If you cannot pay now, sign a payment plan so you pay over time. Since millions are out of work, this is expected to be big solution. It is unclear what your interest rate will be.


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

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

Trump cult of ‘hoax’ drank the Kool Aid



How Govt wastes our money: Congress gives 3.7 Trillion to the wealthy! 
Virus scientists are ignored/banished leaving us with political hate.

Trump’s WALL failing already: Trump donor got $1.7 billion but has no wall experience

SCAMS/SPINS:
Is Trumpism fascistic or just a con’s entertainment genre? GOP extinguished
Trump: my doctors were "very surprised" by my "unbelievable" results of my cognitive tests: 100

Stone: “Like God, Trump was merciful”: Lying to Congress; tampering with witnesses! Guilty

Jared Kushner, huge landlord, not scientist, says his pandemic preparation is a “success story.”
US set new record virus cases--pass 70,000 in ONE day: Jared still in charge? still debate masks

Trump willing to allow 50,000 more adults and children die just to get elected School dangerous?
GA bans anyone from using masks: no city/town can insist citizen save life: Gov on Kool Aid
Even AL now require masks for pandemic: Trump Cultists Waking Up to The 2020 Disaster
But some resist wearing masks with guns: girl stops shoot out over mask use in FL Walmart


Trump, not CDC, will now control virus data: Hospitals data to be messaged by WH politicians
Trump campaign called Death Star, empire’s weapon to destroy good guys; gets ‘hot air’ bomb!

Are Fauci and other health professionals part of the CIA-FBI deep state? Is every non-Trumper?
Trump giving our ventilators to Putin etc: $200 million other countries but need oxygen

Gun silencers now legal as gun lobbyist hired by Trump: Taliban free to kill troops ‘quietly’

Unemployment check fraud: Scammers use your info to file for benefits: Gov doesn’t help fix it
Methanol sanitizer recall by FDA:  59 varieties of hand sanitizer  to avoid: label says ‘ethanol’
Fake blackmail scam: email says they know your info/pictures on computer: pay of they share

Benjamin Alderson Bradley Hamilton caught misleading clients pension transfers; fine/defrocked
GST Factoring caught stealing fees student-loan debt-relief business: repay $11.8 million; $1 fine
Townstone Financial caught illegal redlining mortgage business Chicago area:
TurboTax H&R Block caught “unfair abusive practices” divert from free file to paid products

Is it a scam: check AARP scamline 877.908.3360.

Jobs
Facing eviction: know your options
3 AZ teachers shared classroom; wore masks, gloves; 3 got virus—one has died
Walmart health insurance sales: huge market; captive audience; low-cost policy seniors


Who owns your account now?
Hedge fund to buy newspaper publisher McClatchy out of bankruptcy: 163 years family
KFC going to plant-based former fried “chicken”: so fried tofu batter with more batter?


Miracle:
New York City: zero virus deaths for the first time in four months. 
40% of people infected are asymptomatic. The chance of transmission from them is 75%.
First vaccine tested in U.S. boosted people’s immune systems: now the big trials


Bridger Walker 6 saved his four-year-old sister from a dog attack get acknowledged.


IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ   07042
973.746.2014
Alerts 

Friday, March 13, 2020

How quickly can your account rebound from this correction?


How quickly can your account rebound from this correction?
Depending on how much of your portfolio (401k, 403b, brokerage, IRA, Roth IRA, etc) is in stock assets, you could be down 7% or more. A 500 Index fund is still up 8% over a full year while the Vanguard Wellesley Income fund (60% bonds) is up over 9% over 1 year. Your broad diversified asset account may take less than 6 months to get back on track. This is exactly why you invest in different types of assets. You don’t suffer big losses or big gains from any one shock. Over time, stocks produce better returns than bonds or cash or gold or e-bits. If you consider stock investing as gambling, you may have to wait a long time to hit another jackpot. If you consider stocks the safest investment you can make over time, you won’t have to do a thing. If you played your last chip in February, you must now double your bet to get back even. If your stock fund represents your ownership of many businesses, most will keep working through any panic. Buffett: I never attempt to make money on the stock market. I buy on the assumption that they could close the market the next day and not reopen it for five years.

How can you determine how much your advisor gets paid?
Since there is no industry standard or database for commissions, fees, retainers, kickbacks or other forms of payment, you will never know exactly what your salesperson actually earns. They could create a loss in your account and still charge you $3,000 a year. Recently, one of the sources of information was partially closed. The CFP Board told financial planners that the compensation information was “not very specific or helpful to consumers” and that the best way for consumers to select an advisor is “to have a conversation with their prospective advisor.” But we can’t interview 10 prospects without knowing something about how they charge. “We’re trying for more transparency as an industry, and this is less transparent.” The CFP Board’s consumer website, LetsMakeAPlan.org, is part of a public awareness campaign. Some advisors think the group may have caved in to the whims of the brokerage industry, many of whose advisors also carry a CFP designation. The Board was criticized for not properly disclosing things like customer complaints and criminal or regulatory problems for thousands of CFP designation holders on its consumer website. It took me a long time to find an advisor that charged only a fee for a financial plan/advice for a client. Most charge 1-2% annually of your balances plus fees for packaged products like annuities. It’s your money.

How much government do we want?
Elections are about choices: what to do with our tax money? If you believe social benefit programs are needed to help people you vote Dems in. If you believe corporate and wealth benefit programs are needed to help business and the asset class you vote GOP. Socialism: Trump is now helping some businesses and not others. Welfare for the rich or welfare for the poor, both have succeeded in driving up our public debt and the size of government. Subsidies to the elites and to the needy have never been contracted only expanded. Why are we still providing oil, coal and gas subsidies to profitable companies? Trump pays oil/gas companies when the oil/gas market price falls. We don’t get a bailout for our fuel oil/gas bills. Why have we allowed corporations to pay such low wages (same as 1973) that full time employees must beg for food stamps to survive? Why doesn’t government protect us from unwanted robo calls, opioid drugs and nicotine e-cigarettes? We allow the wealthy to avoid taxation through expensive tricks we can’t afford. When will everyone pay their fair share for their subsidies? Only now is Washington State repealing Boeing’s subsidies. Why is a ‘capitalist’ system paying profitable companies socialist subsidies? Give bailout to taxpayers!

SEC lawyers create more obscure annuity ‘disclosure’ form
The new “reader friendly” variable annuities summary prospectus and rules were supposed to improve investors’ understanding of the complex contracts but actually prove the need for real-ife testing. This charade “illustrates why we shouldn’t leave the job of developing disclosures to securities attorneys. The model they developed based on the proposal is 16 pages of small type and legalese,” CFA Director Roper said. “Had they bothered to test it, I am confident that they would have learned that much work was needed to make these documents both more readable and more visually appealing. But they weren’t willing to do that, perhaps because they didn’t want to hear what investor testing would have told them about the need to go back to the drawing board." Insurers were thrilled with the way SEC lawyers can obscure the tricks insurers use to make sure an ordinary person could never understand how their annuities work.

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 usually 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?

Mob Boss: my employees see “I have natural ability” in medical expertise.


This is how the GOP plans to stay in power? Is 6 hour wait enough to forsake democracy

IRS to delay tax filing deadline so refunds can be used for corporate bailouts
National Emergency? House Dems act to get help to people directly


SCAMS/SPINS:
David Goldman Brook Church-Koegel Nicole Walker caught in $1.2 billion Woodbridge Ponzi
China says new corona cases falling: open Wuhan airport shortly?

Aliera Healthcare deceived buyers of health ministry plans with few benefits.
Judith Negron caught Medicare fraud $200 million from elderly set free by Mob Boss.
Michael Williams Kinetic caught raised $39 million fraud: promised high yield
Epidemics are usually not included in standard travel insurance coverage


“It [The Hoax] will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away,” Dr Trump said
Trump cancels CDC advisory to seniors: fly at your own risk of corona
"There's no good reason to use masks except you think you're doing something” 

Pence claims corona more lethal than flu: expects “thousands of more cases.”




Jobs
More jobs in 2020 before virus: Key number: 273,000 jobs in February.

Who owns your account now?


Miracle:
Older adults were 67% less likely to die of any cause if they walk 30 min a day

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ   07042
973.746.2014
Alerts 

Friday, April 19, 2019

Trump to corporations: ‘Don’t pay ANY taxes like me’


Trump: ‘Don’t pay ANY taxes like me’
The companies that paid nothing in taxes were “able to zero out their federal income taxes on $79 billion in U.S. pretax income,” according to this study. Lowering the rates and using various loopholes, subsidies and credits, Trump eliminated “$20.7 billion in the federal revenue last year” according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Amazon, Chevron, Netflix, Eli Lilly, IBM, General Motors, etc are reaping tax cut benefits and paying nothing. John Deere, for example, reported earning $2.15 billion in U.S. income before taxes. It owed no U.S. taxes in 2018 and reported the government owes the company $268 million because of various deductions and credits, the report says. We pay for Deere’s profits! The cut in the corporate tax rate alone will save corporations $1.35 trillion over the next 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. The cost of interest alone on the national debt runs $896 million each day!

Taxes not done? Pay and get extension: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4868.pdf

What does it take to build a comfortable nest egg?
Time: Make Money the Old Fashioned Way. Fidelity analyzed its accounts that produced the highest returns. They found that account holders that did NOT 'manage' their accounts or died were the most successful. You can earn more in your investment account by NOT touching your money. When you let someone 'manage' your money they tend to waste it and then charge you to boot. Warren Buffett's teacher, Benjamin Graham, once said: Buy stocks like you buy groceries not perfume. Just buy the stock market index and keep buying. You own the most profitable firms worldwide. Recently, Warren Buffett has proved this strategy. Buffett made a bet with a hedge fund manager for $1 million 10 years ago. Buffett's strategy earned over 7% a year versus 2.2% for Wall Street's 'best and brightest.' He won!  Time and buying a broad group of stocks is what it takes to build a nest egg. Over 30 years, the index earned 11% a year vs 3.79% for a ‘managed’ account.

Do you really need an emergency fund? Make it tax-FREE
Nearly 3 in 10 of us dip into our retirement savings, according to Transamerica. Common reasons for taking 401(k) loans or hardship withdrawals include paying down debt, unplanned medical expenses, and paying for higher education. According to Forbes.com, most of us are taking vacations that we can't afford. One study they quote says that 74% of people say they'll go into debt to pay for their vacation. On average families spend 10% of their annual income on vacations! These withdrawals may get you through a tough time, but they also destroy the growth of your retirement savings, and you could pay penalties on these distributions. You're better off setting aside money for emergencies in a separate mutual fund. Aim to have three to six months' worth of living expenses. When we take from our retirement funds, we destroy the miracle of compounding in the future. We could end up with less than $5,000 in retirement, according to a Northwestern Mutual study. Statistics show that 80% of working people are living paycheck-to-paycheck. Time is the key to compounding and starting over after an emergency devastates a nest egg. Compare how long it takes to catch up with our savings if we have to start over or start late from this graphic: http://www.saferchild.org/power/

10 Best Used Trucks Under $10,000
New trucks cost a fortune $60K. They have a large profit margin for makers. Snatch a 2009 Super Duty F-Series XL with a 5.4-liter V8 for just $9,856. Check the 2008 Professional Grade GMC Sierra 1500. Watch for a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Regular Cab or a 2005 Ford F150 Super Cab Pickup for under $10 grand. See a 2009 Nissan Frontier King Cab or a 2012 GMC Canyon Regular Cab for younger ride. I like the 2007 Honda Ridgeline for $9,900. Don’t forget the 2010 Ford Ranger or the 2008 Toyota Tacoma for better highway mileage. #1 worker is the 2009 Toyota Tundra V8.

Many corporations pay NO taxes!
We pay their tax bill, eventually—debt is now $22 Trillion and counting—a $65,600 per person. Avoid future tax increases. You may not have started work with a $100-200 million boost from your father like Trump, but you can create your own tax-FREE stream of income like his. Clearly the Trump tax plan helps businesses and the wealthy. There is no reason why you cannot benefit from the tax code too. Using § 408 of the IRS code, you can create an unlimited account that grows without current or future tax. It eliminates taxes when taken out for your needs and can pass to your heirs totally tax FREE. No matter what your income, this helps you avoid future taxes to pay off the national debt. 
       With the recent increase in the national debt, you can avoid the future tax increases that are sure to strike most working Americans. Many American corporations and wealthy people have moved their wealth, corporations and the good-paying jobs to other countries. Many avoid taxes with complex tax shelters and subsidiaries
       Luckily, there is a way for you to avoid paying their taxes. You can use a FREE special IRS-approved tax shelter to protect all your savings and investment earnings. You can build a $1/2 million fund by investing $250 a month over time. You can use the tax laws for your benefit like the people in the top 1% income bracket do!

New Jersey insists brokers/advisors MUST give us ‘best available options’
Under the New Jersey regulation, brokers would have to make recommendations about securities and provide investment advice "without regard to the financial or any other interest of the broker-dealer, agent, adviser, any affiliated or related entity … or any other third party." Brokers also must recommend the "best of the reasonably available options" when opening or transferring assets to a specific type of account or suggesting that clients purchase securities or other investments. The proposal also states that disclosing conflicts of interest is not enough to comply with the rule.

Trump new tax avoidance scheme for his buds
IRS has published the new regs for avoiding taxation for Trump’s family and friends’ ‘opportunity zone’ investments. They get to delay taxes. Ivanka and consort Jared have already jumped on this at the Jersey shore. It offers massive tax breaks to developers who invest in ‘downtrodden communities’ like Long Branch, N.J., where oceanfront condos list for $2.7 million. Investors who have capital gains from previous investments can defer taxes if they move them into Opportunity Zone projects. And they can permanently avoid paying taxes on any new gains from investment in the zones if they hold onto the investment for a decade. Thus Trump’s family and friends have set themselves up for FREE money for their future.

Study over 30 years show how to live healthier
The results showed a correlation between healthy behaviors and cardiovascular issues: Women and men who maintained the healthiest lifestyles were 82% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 65% less likely to die from cancer when compared to those with the least healthiest lifestyles over the course of the roughly 30-year study period. The study suggested that maintaining these five habits could add up to 10 years or more to a person’s life: 1. Maintain a healthy diet 2. Exercise daily 3. Keep a healthy weight 4. Limit your alcohol intake 5. Don’t smoke.

**************

Make America, “The Don”, Great Again
Truth isn’t truth, his lawyer says

Two Americas: A Banana Republic? Do we really want an infant king? Daddy Putin!

***********************

How Govt wastes our money: Congress spends $1.3 Trillion we don’t have! 
GOP Tax Cut. The cost of interest on the national debt runs $896 million each day.
Your portion of this debt is $65,600: Avoid the future taxes to pay just the interest.

Can Wash actually do something? How about stopping robocalls? Lobbyists say ‘NO’

SCAMS/SPINS:
Trump to end new overtime rules: Workers lose $1.2 billion under Trump rule.

TX claims huge voter fraud problem: 3 cases actually prosecuted; Political trick!

Lobbyists tell our Reps to make tax prep harder not easier: More pages; more profit
Trump to cut funding for disabled persons using excuse ‘cut administrative burden.’

Who pays for $500 Billion healthcare ‘administrative’ costs? We do, like another tax.

Erica Salda Wendy Foster CA caught stealing $ millions from elder: intimidation.
James Schwartz, NY, caught churning clients accounts lost $660,000 banned; no jail

CMFG Life Insurance WI caught shorting life insurance payout to beneficiaries
GE finally pays fine for selling defective mortgages in 2007-8. Many lost home/savings.
Etienne Allonce, Med Solutions, NY caught stealing $10 million from Medicare

Alexa workers listen to your family talk: BEWARE tapes may show up at your trial.
2010-14 Prius electric still fails: recall fix did not work

It took 32 kids’ deaths for Fisher-Price to recall “Rock ‘n Play Sleeper”: capitalism kills.


1. “Russia, find Hill’s emails” 2. Don’s Mob made Russian deals 3. Russia tricked voters 4. Polling data payoff 5. Special Russia deals 6. Fire FBI 7. Refuse give testimony.

The Mob Boss can never go to jail: Trump has Kava as Supreme so no indictment.
‘No man is above the law’ … well up till now. Dictators nullify courts first, then votes.

Jobs:
Studies say playing vid with friends more important than study in library. Who, not what?

Who owns your account now?
Doctors want to improve ObamaCare: protect and extend coverage for all is goal.
Adults tell how to improve financial wellness: easy advice to follow but takes vision.

Miracle:
Nuns get away with child abuse too: “we would have sex. Not a relationship, sex.”

Even one dog can make a difference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjpLTT3WzAw

Listen Don! Houston police chief says deporting child without family is what Nazis do.


IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ   07042
973.746.2014
Alerts

Friday, February 22, 2019

Trump’s own Socialism: he pays no taxes and gets all the elite perks just like Putin


Trump’s own Socialism: he pays no taxes and gets all the elite perks
In 1997, Trump paid no taxes on income of over $10 million by claiming he had losses of (deductions) of $1 Billion ($915,729,293). He could carry the losses forward to avoid taxes over 18 years. He declared that he is a hero for not paying his fair share during the election debate. In 1978 he claimed he lost $406,379 in business so he paid no taxes despite living the lifestyle of a millionaire. Now he says he is against socialism. But he and the wealthy enjoy the advantages of American socialism. He got out of his debts by claiming bankruptcy 6 times. He stiffed his workers on casino and building projects. His ties to Russian organized crime and money laundering show a mob boss pattern. He did not pay his taxes on casino profits in New Jersey. He used money others contributed to his charity to pay fees. If you or I did these things we would be in jail. Trump’s Socialism creates a society where the rich live ABOVE the law and most of us live under the law.

Is the Tax-refund Millionaire plan right for you?
If you begin this year, you could have a retirement nest egg of $1,000,000 by just investing your refund. Yes, it takes time and commitment but think of your future. Based on the historical returns of a low-cost market index fund, you can reach that goal in 34 years. If you have 27 years, you need to invest more each month or settle for $500,000. If you have 21 years, you could have $250,000. What you see here is the Miracle of Compounding. You invest the same amount $250 a month. You double your nest egg between 27 years and 34 years. You are investing the same amount during that period but the previous years’ earnings are also growing at the market rate. You can check out how money grows by using this calculator: moneychimp.com/features/market_cagr.htm. If you had started in 1990, your stock investment would have grown at 10.79%. In fact over any 10-year period, your money would have grown more than any other asset—bank, bonds, real estate, commodities, gold, silver, almost anything. All your future earnings are tax-FREE too.

Amazon with $11 Billion profits given a $0 tax bill!
How is it possible that the most profitable corporations—Amazon, Google, Apple, Facebook—pay no taxes and we, making much less, pay more? Congress writes the tax code—not Trump, not IRS, not Treasury, not CIA. Your Congress person and mine. Congress gave in to their lobbyists who wrote special credits and exclusions. Amazon used various unspecified ‘tax credits’ as well as a tax break for executive stock options. This would be the second year in a row that the company has avoided paying federal taxes, despite being valued at a whopping $1 trillion. The average American pays $10,489 in "personal taxes," representing 14% of the average household's total income. This includes federal and state income taxes, as well as other taxes such as personal property taxes, vehicle taxes, and certain other small taxes. $8,367 of this amount is federal income taxes, $2,046 is state and local taxes, and $75 is other small taxes. It is no wonder we have little saved for retirement.

What do we invest in during retirement?
Let’s say you have $500,000 in your tax-deferred retirement accounts—traditional IRA, company pension, 401k, 403b, etc. (rolled over to IRA). You reach age 70 and must begin to pay tax on that money.  The IRS tells us how much we need to withdraw from our accounts so we can pay tax on it as regular income. The amount is about 3-4% of the total balance of all our deferred accounts as of the end of the previous year. Our example: $500K x.04 = $20,000. Tax may be $2,800 including state tax because this amount (RMD) may cause our SS benefit to be taxed. Our goal is to stay ahead of this Required Minimum Distribution by earning more than the 4%. Banks can’t help us so we must go to securities. Unless we are really lucky and have bonds and stocks that produce high yields and dividends, we need a solid balanced (stocks and bonds) fund. Preferably we don’t want to pay high fees and commissions for this fund so we actually keep over 4%. Several firms offer low-cost funds. Vanguard made its name on low-cost funds.

Do you need a car that goes 200,000 miles?
Consumer Report says your best bet is Camry, Accord, Prius, CR-V, Sienna, Civic, F-150, Suburban, Outback and Forester. Almost any car can make it to 200,000 miles and beyond, if you spend enough money on it. But that's not necessarily a good idea. It's better to buy a safe and reliable model, and then properly maintain it. Make sure you follow the maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual, and take care of minor problems as they arise. If you need a reliable vehicle, remember that many new cars lose up to 40% of their value in first 3 years. Most unbiased advisors will tell you to find the bargain at the used car lot of a prominent dealer. I found my bargain at a Ford dealer after looking at every offer listed in my price range $12,000 on cargurus.com, truecar.com and autotrader.com. Mine had some minor flaws so I was able to know off $500. I also re-shopped my car insurance since insurers change rates so often. Check usage-based rates.

What can physics tell us about a volatile market?
I am reading Breakfast with Einstein by Chad Orzel. In his description of the how our objects can be solid if they are made up of all those subatomic particles that constantly move, he explains their relative positions can only be understood as ‘probabilities.’ The fact that steel is solid in my lifetime does not mean it will be forever. It is an alloy of elements such as manganese, chromium, nickel, tungsten, and so on. Basically, steel is an iron-carbon alloy that does not undergo eutectic reaction. It is mass produced using sophisticated processes that take advantage of how atoms and particles act together. But all matter/energy changes over time and we use the combos that have a high probability of stability for a while (unlike nitroglycerin which can release a lot of energy quickly at a little jolt). Now I understand Zhou Wang’s Quantum Uncertainty in Investing: You can earn 3.69% or 11.11%. The overall market is like the steel while following one stock is like the electron particle that moves all the time. There are so many forces acting on one particle (stock) that it can only be ‘followed’ with probability tables. The total market probabilities are higher. Over time, the market grows by 10-12% a year.

Can our society survive when the most fortunate never pay taxes?
2018 was a good year for the wealthy. One made $7.7 Billion in 2018 by charging other wealthy people 2% plus 20% of the first total earnings. Most hedge funds earned over 8% while the broad market lost 6.7%. But the owners are already wealthy and so they attract more money despite the poor long-term track record. Buffett recently beat some fund managers’ strategies with his bet on the broad market returns (11%) over time. My guess is many wealthy people stay invested in the broad market stocks like Buffett does. Even when they have a down year, they still become richer by holding on to their investments. Plus most of them have paid specialists to use tax-avoidance techniques not available to us. How could they NOT become richer? They earn more on their assets because they pay little or no taxes. We could become richer TOO if we paid ZERO taxes. Many like Trump’s friends and family pay nothing so they add another 20% to their wealth every year. The heads of our corporations now earn 312 times a worker’s pay up from 30 to 1 in 1978. They avoid tax on most of their pay while a worker pays 14% in 6 tax areas. They even obtain tax breaks from our cities on each location. Wealth inequality will eventually become untenable in America like it has in every society in history. When the winners take all—90% of all our assets—bad things happen. More workers realize the dream is closed to them.


**************

Make America, “The Don”, Great Again
Truth isn’t truth, his lawyer says


Two Americas: A Banana Republic? Do we really want an infant king? Daddy Putin!


***********************

How Govt wastes our money: Congress spends $1.3 Trillion we don’t have! 
AZ law makers have immunity from arrest for their law breaking: how about us?
Trump lied: more troops STAY in Syria—guerillas regroup to fight again.

SCAMS/SPINS:
Forget the B.S.: Read the ‘Green New Deal’ resolution for yourself—just 1 page.
Why Trump calls ‘media the enemy of the people’: ‘Truth is not truth’ it is what I say.

Trump mob violates disclosure like Jared but just says ‘sorry’: no fine, no punishment.

21,000 give money to online ‘friend’: lost $143 million. Few caught, no refunds.
Bruce Worthington, MA, caught stealing $100,000 with fake returns, docs: fine no jail.
Franklin Templeton Funds overcharged their own employees too: $14 million fine.

Cardinal Theo McCarrick caught child sex abuse, cover up, misled us, lied: no jail time.
Survivors: You are “murderers of the soul.” Priest “made me get 3 abortions-no condoms  

Smollett fakes attack because he is “dissatisfied with his salary!” Just ask for a raise?
Who can you trust? Top Merrill broker caught overcharging $2 million for years: Jailed.
Old scam comes to ‘life’: Using ‘young’ person’s blood does nothing about aging.

I didn't need to do this," on declaring the emergency. "But I'd rather do it much faster."
Scam the stupidest people in his base,” according to Coulter on Emergency Border $B.
How can we re-elect this fellow? Polls say yes. A challenger might take some his 44%!
“If we could get the Klan to clean out D.C. socialist-communistsAL newspaper owner.


Individual 1” could be a Russian “asset”: Why FBI opened a file on The Mob Boss.

The Mob Boss can never go to jail: Trump has Kava as Supreme so no indictment.
‘No man is above the law’ … well up till now. Dictators nullify courts first, then votes.
----------------------------------

Jobs:

  

Who owns your account now?
Survivor help-group provides support on financials: https://www.wingsforwidows.us/
Shopping car insurance pays: 75% shop once over the past five years; 40% in the year.

Miracle:

Priests abuse & torment deaf kids: who is in charge? Pope condones abuse? No jail time!


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