Are ‘Alts’ right for you?
At this time of market insecurity in more traditional assets, alternative investments provide individual investors a way to hedge against increased volatility and generate strong returns. Such is the promoted promise of this new asset class which includes a range of private equity, private credit, hedge funds and real estate. But before you leap into a new set of risks, make sure you understand what happens with returns. These assets are available to the knowledgeable “accredited investor” only. Risk of loss is higher than stocks and bonds. Advisors can provide access to information and opportunities but making the commitment still lies in your hands. Advisors are sales people not market truth tellers. Unfortunately there are no free lunches. Bet only what you can lose.
Learn more here: https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/membership/professional-development/refresher-readings/introduction-alternative-investments
Learn how to stop paying the taxes left unpaid by the
wealthy
You can use some of the techniques of the super rich who avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Make your retirement nest egg income tax free like Peter Thiel who has amassed a $5 billion in his tax-FREE account. Others like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk pledge some of their $ billions in assets for loans they use for expenses. Proceeds from a loan are NOT taxable income so they own nothing or a smaller rate than your income taxes require. Then there are business owner deductions which coup-leader Trump uses to not pay taxes. After bankrupting his casinos, he declared business losses of almost $ BILLION and offset his other income for 18 years. He declared himself “smart” since his pricey accountants found loopholes in the tax code. Real estate ownership is another “negative tax” business. Like Stephen Ross, you can avoid income taxes by claiming huge paper losses ‘depreciation’ for years. Some wealthy folks use their hobby to claim tax benefits. If you are able to help a GOP candidate get elected you may find a loophole comes your way. You can use special estate-dodging trusts to reduce your whole family’s taxes now and forever. Stop paying their taxes using your tax-FREE account now.
https://www.amazon.com/Tax-FREE-Wealth-How-laws-free/dp/1475089236
How to pay off that 24% interest credit card
Consider a full pay-off loan using a HELOC. A home equity line of credit costs much less than a new cash-out refinance. There may be no closing costs and you may be able to deduct the interest from your taxes. If that can’t work, try a person to person loan like Lending Club. Another site like Fiona can match you with a lower-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. Some people open a 0% credit card so they can take a break from the crushing interest payments. However, the period ends and you still have the problem of the loan. Other folks have had enough and take a temporary job to get out of debt completely. At the same time they take a fresh look at their ongoing expenses and cut viciously. You may save a lot by changing the terms of your car, home, life and health insurance. Others have moved their mutual funds to a low-cost provider. Some have given up their cable sports package—at least for a time. Some moved their wireless service to a pay-as-you-go carrier. We have suggestions that our readers have used with success.
Try them: https://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Guides-Discount-Financial-Services-ebook/dp/B004JKMUVO
Is rebalancing mutual funds really worth it?
John Bogle, founder, Vanguard Group says: “on the idea of rebalancing. I don't think you need to do it.” Over your long-term investment life, rebalancing the proportion of equities and fixed income and other market segments may reduce your total potential gains. Some rebalancing plans can increase your costs and create a loss. Using the Buy and Hold strategy has shown superior returns to a regular sell and buy plan since frequent trading tends to sell winners too early. Warren Buffett, outstanding investor, says his “favorite holding period is forever.” Most of his portfolio has not changed in years. Your advisor has a vested interest in selling and buying regularly. As my old boss used to say, “We only make money on transactions.” The safest investment strategy is a balanced portfolio you can live with no matter what the market does. Markets go up and done. Accept it.
https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Re-balance-Your-Portfolio-Research/dp/1508802386
Is a Donor-advised Fund right for you?
DAF can be useful to you and your family. It is an efficient way for you to support your charities while offsetting your income tax bill. When you contribute cash, securities or other assets to a donor-advised fund sponsoring organization, you are generally eligible to take an immediate tax deduction. Then those funds can be invested for tax-free growth, while allowing you to support charities on your timetable. Organizing your charitable giving now and in the future are DAF benefits. The number and kind of giving is flexible. Your DAF cannot hold qualified accounts. You need to provide sufficient funds/securities to generate 1-2% in fees, investment management and bookkeeping charges. You can skip the paperwork required to contribute to each charity. You can skip the tax deduction/contribution timing requirement—create the deduction when you need it and tell DAF the amount and timing of your gifts separately. You can track your gifts over time in your DAF account. Your gift does not trigger multiple solicitations. No one like family/friends need find out about your gifts. DAF handles selling your securities, filing tax forms, and accounting for all household members. Your donations must go to a qualified charitable organization. Many mutual fund firms, non-profit institutions and religious organizations offer DAFs.
Use your tax credits: https://www.amazon.com/Tax-Credit-Class-your-credits-ZERO/dp/1539462382
Use market volatility to lower your tax bill
If you sold some of your stocks to pay an unexpected bill, take the loss off of your taxes. Uncle Sam helps us speculate on winners and losers by allowing us to take a deduction for our stock losses. Each year we can deduct $3,000 if we itemize our tax deductions. Your losses can go on for years until you deduct them all. For those of us who have large health care expenses, itemizing may lower your tax liability more than the standard deduction. For some with large charity commitments, itemizing also pays off with deductions. To determine if you should itemize, you need to complete Schedule A so you can compare your deductions to the standard deduction. For 2021, the standard deduction is $12,550 for single taxpayers and $25,100 for married taxpayers filing jointly. Most tax prep software will calculate both so you can take the best deal for your situation each year. You don’t need to pay extra for most software to do this calculation—even the free ones do it. Check at https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free or get help during tax season: https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/jsp/vita.jsp
Help your child, grandchild get started on a $1 million fund
They will need a million dollars since inflation can reduce
the buying power by 50% in just 20 years. Since common stocks have the best
history of keeping ahead of inflation, a broad portfolio has the best chance of
delivering steady returns. Since 1871 a basket of stocks (dividends reinvested)
has provided 11%
returns. Ordinary
inflation is 3% not 8.6%, so right now stocks are cheap. If you show your
family that an 11% long-term return can turn $250 a month into $1,000,000 in
about 34 years, they will not be try to beat the market with fast trades
through a $0 commission broker. Show them the math: $250
per month for 34 years costs $102,000 in contributions. They earn $898,000
in dividends and capital gains. If they use their special IRS tax-FREE account,
they avoid about $225,000 in taxes when they take their money out to live on.
Remind them that Warren Buffett
bet a million dollars on a low-cost market index fund to beat 5 super stock
pickers. Buffett recommends you use the Vanguard
500 Index Fund. Why? You can give
up 63% of your returns when you use a broker. And if they trade to beat the
market they may end up with the historical
broker account average of 3.79% not 11% a year. That’s $208,865 instead of $1,021,768
after 34 years.
https://www.amazon.com/Give-your-child-leg-up-manage/dp/1096505355
A “unique” portfolio designed for your needs?
Is your advisor really providing a “unique portfolio designed just for you”? Maybe not. Advisors are saving money with the Universal Wealth Management Platform. This one model is billed as “Model Serves Multiple Wealth Segments.” This cheaper sales kit is being used by different types of wealth firms - from broker-dealers to independent advisors to family offices. Advisors are outsourcing the management of your assets so they can find more clients and add more revenue. This means you are overpaying for a computer-generated asset allocation based on your answers to a standard model of risk and reward. You might be better off (pay less, earn more) if you put most of your money in a broad index fund. You pay less and earn more by using simple logic: more risk; more return. According to most unbiased analysts, cost is the best determinant of investing success.
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Predictor-Investment-Success-Cost/dp/1502524082
?**********ACCOUNTABILITY**************?
Like 1776, this
period is a test
of democracy—We
rejected an "American
fascist" once
The
Path to Dictatorship: 2010-2030
Nov 2020 Wealthy
discredit election process
Jan
6 2021 Direct
assault failed: guns
& bombs ready
Trump
engaged in a "criminal
conspiracy" to stop Biden
“I
don’t f—ing care that they have weapons”
Trump had become “detached
from reality”
Trump
used mafia intimidation on defenseless
Trump: “Just
say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me”
GOP fascism: “RINO
hunt armed; no bagging limit”
Trump’s Supremes end personal
rights & state
laws except for weapons
WMDs
Fascism: GOP
to stop women leaving state for abortion
It’s
not a court. It’s a junta
How Govt wastes our money:
When
abortions were illegal—and how women got them anyway: Supremes will adopt the
kids?
Where
abortion access is guaranteed without Roe v. Wade: HHS
info helps
GOP fetish: “Millions
of precious
unborn lives will be saved”; then left w/o health care
Supremes use 1600s
precedence to end personal right of choice: marital
rape OK
Denial of women’s
choice has heavy
negative financial effect on poor for rest of life
Supremes
end states’ right control gun packers after receiving
24/7 protection from guns
Supremes
end church state separation: religion
in public schools: Only
Christian prayers
Supremes
reinstates Louisiana voting map that discriminates against Blacks Thomas
too!
GOP Rep. Boebert: ‘I’m
tired of this separation of church and state junk’ ban tolerance?
Michigan Supremes give
free
pass for Flint poisoning to Gov. Rick Snyder: rich go free
Supremes
decide to let non-EPA industry destroy the world: No regs on coal
industry.
SCAMS/SPINS:
END to US rights
of life liberty pursuit of happiness: only right left: gun in a militia
GOP: “control
local apparatus in elections; network the country, so unbreakable control”
Christian
Nationalists moving us backward to their fantasy time: white
males ruled all
Extreme
Thomas: Void
our choices: contraceptive, LGBTQ, “due process,” Miranda, sex, books, votes
Republicans used to hate activist judges: next ACA, Medicaid, SNAP,
mixed
marriage
TX
school district mandates certain clothing for 15,000 students: fascist
state rules begin
GOP Freedom: Christian
conservatives define it: by Trump’s people for
Trump’s people
Anti-choice states: crime
to talk, inform, aid, abet, abortion
GOP: “protect
innocent lives” by allowing
assault rifles for school, market, mall killings
Roe verdict a ‘victory
for white life’ IL Republican tells Trump rally: Freedom, mine first
Militia
expert says white terrorists will be back to try another coup for Trump
GOP voted for $Billions for new
gun law so states could fix budgets not fix kid killings
Will
Biden track the actual lives saved by $13 billion for states to spend from
new law?
GOP
refused waiting period for guns or license
to purchase an assault weapon. Kills OK
Martin Ruiz caught
stealing $8 million client funds for real estate returns: 6 years prison
Credit Suisse caught
laundering Bulgarian cocaine gang money: fine, no jail
Putin caught
defaulting on sovereign debt: sanctions working?: more interest, no jail
Putin bombs women children at mall: Finland
and Sweden join NATO to surround him
FBI document LA Catholic clergy sex abuse while taking kids out of state: possible jail
Patrick Egan CA caught
violating Regulation Best Interest: sold high-risk "L" Bonds
Ernst & Young
caught accountant employees cheated on ethics exams
RECALL: Daily
Harvest meals: sickness from mail order meal ‘kit’
Facebook Messenger scam: fake login takes
credentials: friend clicks makes $millions
Scams circulate
all over the place: truth can’t be found easily
Crypto vendors decline virtual money: not worth it. store wasn’t
accepting crypto
Meadows and Giuliani, Trump’s adviser, asked for pardons
for roles in attempted coup
"Our
own president set us up," Capitol police Gonell. Trump sent an armed
mob”
Will
Cassidy ever work again? Mafia hates disloyal women
Oil
refiners make less gas than before pandemic: Exxon
profit more than doubled
Wealthy
LA enclave gets harsher penalties for wasting water: above the law?
US to expand animal
pox testing at labs as outbreak grows
hepatitis-of-unknown-origin-reported-in-children
Jobs
Secret
service tells president “NO” we are not letting you lead armed coup
People are using deepfakes
to apply for remote tech jobs
Who owns your account now?
Shop for health care before visit: cataract place $204; hospital outpatient $4,057
Ban women’s choice: Evangelical Christians tried to ban our choice to drink: reversed
Health insurers post every price they've negotiated with providers for health care services
Medical
Debt Set to Be Wiped From Credit Reports: check credit reports
FREE
Miracles:
Water-based
battery makes use of other affordable, easily accessible components: no
fires
"Rolls-Royce projects
electric
flight using its turbogenerator
Man
who grabs genitals spoke to God: "God
made the decision." He means himself.
Rio Grande
will dry up this summer: scientists fear change in birds, mammals habitats
Supremes
decide to let non-EPA industry destroy the world: No regs on coal
industry.
EU factory to capture
carbon dioxide from the air and deposit it underground as rock
Human fossils in
Men
rush to get vasectomies after Roe ruling: no more unwanted kids in
@
Everything in
universe: galaxies to stones made of subatomic
energy ‘vibrations’
Light is both
a particle and a wave depending on how we look at the light.
A subatomic ‘particle’
is the smallest possible vibration (quantum) of a quantum field.
Mass–energy
equivalence: E=mc^2. At the smallest
level; Everything is moving!
Inside protons,
neutrons, it
is the fields of the virtual particles that creates its mass.
“Empty space is a
boiling, bubbling brew of virtual
particles that pop in and out of existence in a time scale so short that you
can’t even measure them.” Space expanding.
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/
