How to get back on track for retirement income

 

Great savings ideas to beat inflation

The Feds tell us that reducing inflation is harder than running it up so let’s get ready for the long haul. My grocer has not shown signs of reducing their markups in everything. My house-brand can of French cut beans went from 68 cents to 99 cents in one week this spring. As with drugs and other commodities, the middle persons are probably making the extra 31 cents. I don’t think the farmers or pickers got much of the increase. We save by using the house brand for all things. You could move to a cheaper town if you find a job. For car and home insurance, we save by raising our deductible since most risks have a low probability. Some of us save by going directly to the manufacturer to buy our coverage and our needs. Since this is not always the case, you must shop and buy only what you need. The largest potential savings comes from ending credit card debt fast: my card charges 29.99% (mob rates) if I don’t pay the monthly balance on time. One of the largest savings has come to folks who gave up on their broker/advisor and go directly to Vanguard. Vanguard is unique since the firm itself is owned by its own users. It is responsible for the largest savings for many of my readers—saving 1-2% of a portfolio over time is hard to beat. Avoid $10,000 or more EVERY year for an advisor. Some readers pay a one-time fee for planning advice. In order to save a lot, you will need to go through your expenses item by item.

Save for now and later: https://www.amazon.com/Save-3000-every-year-Buy-Only/dp/1500681571

 

Where did your advisor leave you?

Buffett bought more energy stocks as the market fell this year. If you are a long term investor you can weather the storm. Buffett has been through this all before. What is his answer: buy when stocks are on sale. This makes sense but this is one of the hardest things to do when stock prices fall. World's greatest investor's retirement advice: Avoid “high-fee managers.” Retirement income for life from 2 Vanguard funds he recommends. Warren Buffett's will provides for his family by directing that his cash assets be invested in just two Vanguard funds: One will provide cash for the coming year and the other will provide a sound future. The best way to protect your family's future is to be invested in the stock market. Pure and simple. When you have stock assets, your money compounds at higher rates when your account fees are 0.01-0.05%, not the retail rates of 1.5-3%. You don't have to settle for retail products that are structured to provide the middle person, Wall Street with higher revenues. The average investor earns just 3.79%, not the 10-12% market rates. (QAIB) Don’t be an average advisor funding machine.

Trust Buffett: https://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffetts-Vanguard-Funds-Retirement/dp/1496148592

 

Alternatives to high college costs

A trade could pay better and cost less to succeed. An electrician can make $131-215K and work at a brewery. The electrician that came to our home charged $200 just to visit. The Sears-affiliated service tech took us for $750 to fix our washer. My relative is a traveling nurse and gets to see the world free while earning up to $4,900 a week. If you have no intension of running up student loans, fortunately some corporations actually pay for your training too. If a trade is not right for you, what about dealing with people? Many jobs pay very well if you must deal with ornery customers. My first job was electrician helper during the summer and I made more than my father. More companies are giving jobs to robots so time is running out.

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

 

Top investments for taxable accounts

We can’t control how the markets behave or the rate of inflation, but we can manage taxes. Your advisor may not consider the taxes you will have to pay when they suggest a strategy or a security. But taxes can substantially reduce your income especially over time. If your current income is under $100,000, you are better off paying tax now and investing in a tax-FREE account. Long-term, your savings can be huge. Investing $250 a month during your working years can provide $1,000,000+ and it can all be tax-FREE. This account can also save you paying income taxes on dividends and interest annually as you would on mutual funds and securities that throw off dividends and interest every year. Further, you do not need to pay taxes on securities with huge capital gains until you want to use the money. Stocks like Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway pay no dividends so there are no taxes to pay until you sell. 

Simple is best: https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Simple-Essential-Financial-Life/dp/1492258849/

 

How to get back on track for retirement income

So after 3 years of destruction in savings: Covid, layoffs, inflation, moving, quitting, starting a new job— whatever, how you get back to your goal of having enough income for retirement. Assess: what do you need to do; reset your goals. You can still catch up but you need to stick with a serious commitment. Love the stock market: stocks can provide over 10% return per year. No other security can do that. In most market downturns, the total return over 10-15 years provides enough time to recover your loses. So dips in 2020 were overcome in 2022 and dips in 2009 were past over in 2012. Putting your nest egg in the CD deep freeze will kill the growth of an incubator. You may have to work another year before ‘retiring.’ Most people keep working even part time in order to satisfy financial and social needs. You need to understand what “retirement” time has become. Many folks are living longer and thus the old way of living on municipal bonds and CD interest is not appropriate. Many retirees used to fear financial risk and maintained a hording attitude near retirement. However, since you or your partner may live to age 100, you need to make a new plan. Risk is controlled; not feared. With income and expenses planned out, 75 is the new 65.

Double your investing to catch up. https://www.amazon.com/Reset-Your-Retirement-Income-retirement/dp/1512304344

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

The Path to Dictatorship: 2010-2030

 

Jan 21 2010 Corpor­a­tions’ election-spending unlim­ited

 

Nov 2020 Wealthy discredit election process

 

Nov 21 2020 Trump’s Plans for a Coup: criminal

 

Nov 21 2020: Trump plan: US Marshals seize voting machines

 

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 was “detached from reality”

 

Trump used mafia-style intimidation on the defenseless

 

Parscale: “a sitting president asking for civil war.”

 

Trump: “Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me” 

 

GOP fascism: “RINO hunt armed; no bagging limit” J6 comm threat

 

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: Two Americas

 

 

Nov 8 2022 Trump’s “national revolution”

 

Jan 2025 Trump pardons himself

 

How Govt wastes our money:

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had $183,504 in PPP loans forgiven.

GOP con man Trump had 6 bankruptcy loans/carpenter bills forgiven made $ millions

We paid for moon shot once. Let’s save Earth not Mars safe for wealthy. Wasted taxes.

 

Trump stole secret documents from US, lied about returning them, hid them! Criminal

Trump Claims FBI Raided Mar-a-Lago Looking for Clinton Emails: “detached from reality”

Regulators: online dashboard Sept. 2: Air passengers can find “easy-to-read” delay plans

 

SCAMS/SPINS:

Trump’s secret docs: “evidence of obstruction” Informants could be IDed and killed

Lindsey’s forecast: Trump terrorists will make bigger Jan 6 destruction if Leader charged

Trump will pardon J6 terrorists: fmr NYC police caught beating police viciously—10 yrs

 

Can threats against America stop prosecutions? Is there a way to avoid accountability?

Newt ads falsely claimed election "stolen" from Trump to "arouse anger" Jan6: jail?

 

Trump terrorist gets 46 mo failed coup: instigators get zero jail time: delay delay delay

Trump judge: school district’s ‘Christian’ club can exclude certain children

 

Michael Shillin WI caught conning clients buy IPO stocks LTC policies: jail

SCAM: regulators allow mutual funds change benchmarks to look good   

Morgan Chase funds Putin’s war via fossil-fuel projects (climate-heating carbon dioxide)

 

Retail investors 'irrationally oblivious' to crypto risks: need regs: you could lose shirt

SCAM: celeb Suze Orman new portfolio advice based on her recent surgery experience

SCAM: Debit card fraud leaves Ally Bank customers, vendors stricken

 

More Fakes: Dr Oz and banned book list: things are bad enough, fakes not needed

RECALL: Ford recalls 198,000 U.S. SUVs due to risk of fire: battery box

 

Wells Fargo caught violating whistleblower protection improperly terminating: fine 22M 

BEWARE: “Pay 0% Interest Until 2024”: 5% transfer fee: $500 ‘interest’ fee on $10K

Mortgage insurance scam: expensive cover not required by most lenders: buy term

 

FAKE: no-interest financing to online gun buyers for weapons and ammunition

FAKE medical bill: respond to collectors chasing you TIPS on how to answer collectors

 

In (Christian-right) God We Trust: where Supremes are sending us

Marble Freedom Trust: the real money behind the Supremes flip to Christian Nationalism

Four Methodist Ministers say Texas abortion law impedes on their religious freedom

OK teacher banned after letting his students have access to banned books: neo Nazism

 

20-year-old shooter with war weapon killed two people teens don’t always know why act

 

Jobs

Jobs With the Largest Growth

Good money doing websites, email, small apps, etc for small business

90% of Americans have side hustles: inflation and some extra cash

 

Part-time for extra cash or interest: pay can vary

 

Who owns your account now?

Regulator proposes airlines give money back if delay 3 hours: 100K cancelled

Handling an car accident: info at the scene; tips to get paid properly

Best Home Insurers: Amica Mutual, Auto Club SoCal, Erie, State Farm

 

Miracles:

World’s Rivers, Canals and Reservoirs Are Turning to Dust

One-foot rise in global sea levels in just 30 years: Greenland ice sheet collapses

When Spain ran out of water it used tomato paste

Japanese care home recruits babies to cheer up elderly residents: paid diapers formula

Ukraine kids go back to school: keep the Czar far far away

 

‘Synthetic’ mouse Embryo with Brain and Beating Heart Grown From Stem Cells

Combo ‘polypill’ cuts heart disease death: Combining 3 heart drugs reduces risk 33%

 

 

Trees Are the Secret Weapon of America's Historic Climate Bill: grow 60 billion trees

Is global warming still a hoax created by the Dems? How could so many believe the GOP

 

 

 

 

@

Light is both a particle and a wave depending on how we look at the light.

I don’t think that there is any such thing as a position or a velocity of a particle.

Everything in universe: galaxies to stones made of subatomic energy ‘vibrations’

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!

There is no TIME at this level because of force fields come and go in all directions. 

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.

The electricity we use comes from the field around the wire not from election itself.

 

 

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/

 

 

How to deal with inflation

 

Make the New Year better

 

Is owning a TIPS fund or ETF right for you?

A kind of bond issued by the US Treasury has complexities that baffle most investors who use them. They are not as simple as buying them to avoid losing purchase power to inflation. Many took the bait in 2020 with the promise of 5.5% vs -1.5% for the bond index. Semi-annual adjustments to the securities means TIPS are good at protection against unexpected inflation. So for most people, stocks will provide better long-term protection from inflation. For retirees, holding 10-20% of their bond allocation in TIPS may help settle out the stock market gyrations. Many retirees use high dividend payers to accomplish the same goal. The low-cost versions of all these options will do better than costly broker/advisor-managed ones simply because paying 2% to earn 5% provides you with only 3% net. The calculated yield is another big headache since not every fund is a pure TIPS play. Some add in derivatives to make their fund attractive. None of these offerings provides an inflation-busting guarantee. A better strategy is an over-weighted balanced fund plus diversified low-cost stock funds. Low-cost always beats high-cost.

https://www.amazon.com/Reset-Your-Retirement-Income-retirement/dp/1512304344

 

How can you deal with inflation?

Inflation of 7% is the running rate for the new year based on current price increases. Gas, food and rent-price jumps may have convinced you that something needs to be done. If you are an investor or retired person living on your investments, you may have heard the discussion of bond and stock prices changing drastically last month. Indeed, after the stock market index hit 28% last year, ’22 has taken some of your account balance away already. For those relying on their brokerage firm or advisor, the word from Goldman is: “Sticking with Stocks Is Best Bet to Beat Inflation.” Goldman favors equities in energy, financials, resources, real estate and infrastructure. Real estate has come off a year of over 40% but since the value of leases and contracts often rises when inflation increases, this will remain a good bet against inflation. Index funds usually cost much less than an advisor and so if most analysts think we will have single digit returns, Vanguard may be a better home to rest in 2022 than a full-service firm. Good health.

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

 

How to invest if you are NOT rich

There is a way to become rich even if you don’t have a lot of money and are not able to pick the next Amazon or Google stock. It requires you to wait for your money to grow by itself using the Miracle of Compounding. You know the principle of compound interest. If you lend a $1 to your bank, you will be paid interest each year. After 40 years, you will have $2.22 at 2%. Rates of interest are low right now, but in the 1980s, you could earn 8-12%. I saved for my first house down payment then. The stock market returns average over 11% over time, so you could have $80 from $1. If you could invest $100 per month in large company stocks, you could have $880,000 in 40 years. $100 a month is $3.34 a day. Almost everyone could do that if their mutual fund company could automatically deduct the $100 a month from their bank account. You would have to wait and never touch the money during those 40 years. Actually, fund firms have tested that plan: the highest accumulations were in accounts that the owner forgot they had. They left the account to compound by itself. Vanguard offers a low-cost large company stock fund that has returned 11.66% since 1976. Clients make money the ‘old-fashioned way;’ patience.

You should too: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Takes-Time-money-old-fashioned-ebook/dp/B07751F8N2

 

Can you trust online tax prep software?
If you use your prior year returns to guide you, you can easily navigate most online software tax services and save money. Most are free for Federal and some are free for some states. With direct deposit, you have the simplest and fastest way to do taxes. I have used a number of the services offered by the IRS-approved sites: https://www.irs.gov/ filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free. As an AARP tax preparer, I know some of these sites offer simple entry screens and good support. Even if you have a complicated return, these packages are manageable. As I tell AARP users, try to do your own taxes first then consider going to a costly preparer. The IRS has warned us that it is still doing last years returns so make sure you enter the correct amounts for the child tax credit and economic stimulus checks received last year. The IRS sent a letter to remind us. Beware of other tax preparers claiming FREE but add charges after you start. After 2-3 weeks, track your refund: https://www.irs.gov/refunds. If you need to know your previous year tax information, order a transcript from the IRS files: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript. Your refund could pay for a secure retirement. $2,000 a year earns $500,000.

Let Uncle Sam help you: https://www.amazon.com/Tax-Refund-Millionaires-Let-Uncle-Help/dp/149595644X/

 

Is your advisor’s “model” ETF option right for you?

Model portfolio assets have more than doubled over the last five years. Many providers of models are asset managers, who stand to benefit from new cash flowing to their funds. Meanwhile, financial advisers have embraced them as a way to outsource allocation decisions so more time can be spent attracting and serving clients. “Investors who chase the recommendations also behave differently, as they pay less attention to both the price and the performance of the ETFs,” a new study found. Model providers recommend their affiliated ETFs more frequently, and these tend to have lower performance and higher fees than recommended unaffiliated ETFs. Over time, advisor and firm fees can take up to 63% of your potential earnings. Fees are guaranteed; earnings are never guaranteed.

Follow Buffett’s advice: https://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffett-Your-Investment-Advisor/dp/1518690963

 

Is using an advisor right for you?

Many financial outlets claim that you can increase your returns by using a paid advisor. Consider the source: financial media depends on paid advisors and their firms for income so it makes sense to claim a paid advisor can help you. However, we all know that you can save big money by shopping direct—eliminate the “middle man markup.” Also, few advisors can beat a low-cost stock index simply because of the costs. The unbiased financial scorekeeper, Dalbar, has found that the average advisor-managed returns were 3.79% compared with the S&P 500 index of 11.06%. Warren Buffett put his money on the Vanguard’s 500 Index fund in a bet with a stock picking guru and 5 hedge funds. Buffett won the bet. He also designated the Vanguard low-cost index fund in his will for his heirs. Stock funds underperformed indexes nearly 93% of the time. Over time, advisor fees, charges, trading and bad decisions will lower your total accumulations by 63% or more. In every time period, low-cost funds beat high-cost funds, Morningstar showed.

Go with Buffett: https://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffetts-Vanguard-Funds-Retirement/dp/1496148592

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

The Path to Dictatorship: 2010-2030

 

 

Terrorist attack fueled by propaganda

 

Congress fails to support democracy

 

Trump’s plan for coup

 

companies slam voter suppression laws, then donate to their sponsors

 

 

US civil war II

 

 

How Govt wastes our money:

TX already rejecting half of 700 mail-in applications for ballots: only GOP get ballot

Supremes decide Covid vaxx mandate cancelled: 865,000 dead: voted to continue deaths

Counties hide Covid death count: family/political reason fake causes: plague--1 million

 

SS benefit increase may raise tax bill: income threshold never adjusted: thanks Congress

10 wealthiest men doubled their fortunes: most pay lower tax rate than we do

Wealth group: “few if any of us can honestly say that we pay our fair share in taxes"

Wealthy tax-avoiders replacing residents of Puerto Rico: Beverly Hills in Caribbean

 

 

Manchin: parents waste monthly child tax payments on drugs instead of their children

Manchin coal company receives coal subsidies from our taxes: parties on houseboats

 

Biden spin to Putin: “any assembled units” NO; “Unassembled” guerillas across is OK?

Military bases near Ukraine: Black Sea region ground and air forces cost us $ millions.

 

 

SCAMS/SPINS:

OH Supremes cancel GOP election landslide gerrymandering: small step for OH humans

FL funds “brown shirt” type police use tips to arrest anyone allege violation of elections 

Don has to worry about kids spilling beans and FL mini-‘Reich’

Parallel: Al Capone, Don Trump: tax evasion case lies about assets and taxes

 

FedEx to use laser heat gun to deter should-fired missiles from packages

Tesla problems in heating/cooling of Model 3 and Model Y vehicles

Your 5G phone could crash airplanes: no one foresaw telecom conflict before today?

 

Martin Shkreli barred from industry fined $64.6 million Daraprim guage block generic

Metals.com, Chase Metals caught selling overpriced gold silver bullion $185 million

Scam: favorite digital and promissory notes easy to fake: large return for the risk.

 

Codie D. Malesker caught faking damage insurance reimbursement: jail 15 weekends

Perry Santillo caught stealing $100 million Ponzi scheme  prison17 years

Tesla on autopilot kills 2: driver not Elon indicted for manslaughter: No clapping in truck

 

Fake online offers: how to spot a fake website and goods

Fake QR codes to steal money: they direct people to malicious sites: just click delete

 

Millions of store & restaurant workers with Covid-19 are serving us: no sick days

 

Just dumb: GOP says life-saving Covid vaxx mandate is same as the Nazis killing Jews

TX GOP move to the right paid for by the wealthy: Porters, Wilks, Dunn

Mind control: powerful propaganda has convinced Trumpers that the dead don’t die

 

Jobs

Study shows college for some career degrees are not cost effective: nothing new

Hobbies That Help You Live Longer: Active outgoing social life

Home office deduction for your business: not for work from home

 

10 fastest growing 2022 jobs

Fastest job growth regions: hiring ID, WA, NC top list

 

Who owns your account now?

Even generic drugs have price increases as drug companies want higher profits

Auto insurance rates rise: time to shop for lower rates: bundling may not help

Avg monthly new car payment $636 a new high: same 70 month term

 

Activision Blizzard to Microsoft: Call to Duty for Mr Gates to play

Streaming costs more: look harder for free services

SEC makes it harder to find private co data: assures wealthy hide fortunes better

 

Miracles:

Cancer mortality rates continue to decline: lung cancer drop; no smokers

Free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests: 4 while they last: check expiration date

Some states have lowered their taxes for 2022: Iowa phasing out inheritance tax

 

In our minds: Covid shot side effects (headache and fatigue) are from anxiety not vaxx.

Snow and hailstorms cover Saudi desert: Iceberg falls into ocean

IRS videos answer questions quicker than a phone call: IRS failed to answer 50%

 

We can apply for Medicare online: https://blog.ssa.gov/apply-for-medicare-online

We can apply for Social Security online: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/

We can apply for health care online: https://www.healthcare.gov/

 

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ   07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

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