How much are you investing for your future?

 

How much are you investing for your future?

Fidelity says: The total first-quarter savings rate — a combination of participant and employer — reached a record 14%, just short of Fidelity’s suggested 15% savings rate. The average salary is about $50,000. During our lifetime, we may earn $2.5-$3 million, depending on raises and years worked. If we invest just 6% ($3,000) in the low-cost stock market index of our 401k or IRA, we could have $2,100,000 for retirement in 40 years. If our employer matches our contribution or our spouse has a similar situation, we could have more. Given the historical rate of inflation, this amount would still allow us to spend retirement income of $45,000 (after inflation) for 30 years. We can now invest in a Tax-FREE account, approved by the IRS. About 78% of 401k plans offer this account. We could spend all $3,750 a month!

Spend Tax-Free Income: https://www.amazon.com/Tax-FREE-Retirement-code-lifetime-income/dp/1475206976

 

Actual retirement income $29,000 or less

Recent survey of retirees shows median income of just $29,000 before taxes in 2019, according to the 20th annual Transamerica Retirement Survey of Retirees. Median means half are below that amount: 27% reported an income of less than $25,000. Transamerica found that 46% of retiree households have nonmortgage debt, such as credit card, car loan, student loan or medical obligations. In addition, 23% of households have mortgage debt. Another study shows that 57% of retirees said they had less than $250,000 saved at retirement. This study had participants with incomes of $75,000. Amazingly, thirty-five percent hope to win the lottery, 25% are willing to sacrifice what they want today to save for later years and 25% plan to stay on their current path. Forty-four percent of retirees said their expenses are higher than they had expected, while just 8% said expenses are lower. Most of us will have to work longer than age 65.

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

 

Best graduation gift you can give

Make sure you teach your kids how to create wealth the easy way. My parents were not investors. At my first job, I had no clue which investment option to use for my 401k contribution and company match. The HR person told me to put it into the 'safe' stable value fund. That was the worst choice at my age I learned later when I got my securities licenses. If I had followed their advice I would have ended up with $150,000 instead of a Wealth Reserve of $877,233 about 33 years later. We have used this 'Wealth Reserve' as I call it to have funds to use low-cost high-deductible insurance, to buy two homes and 5 cars with higher down payments or cash, and now to receive at least $2,933 a monthly in a retirement supplement for the rest of our lives. Get them started with VOO in a Tax-Free account at low-cost Vanguard. 

Start their ‘Wealth Reserve’: https://www.amazon.com/Give-your-child-leg-manage/dp/1096505355

 

In a recession, follow Buffett’s advice

Warren Buffett has been through a few recessions since investing his paper route money. His advice is not to sell all and run for the hills. Page 6 of his letter to shareholders: “Investors who avoid high and unnecessary costs and simply sit for an extended period with a collection of large, conservatively-financed American businesses will almost certainly do well.” Unless you need your emergency money in the next year, just hold on to your low-cost portfolio of sound businesses and wait. As a group, American firms have provided annual earnings of about 11% since 1871. At 11% through boom and bust, steady investments of $250 a month can produce $1,000,000 in about 33 years. Stocks are cheaper during recessions to you have more; less when they are more expensive.

Don’t lose your head: https://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffett-Your-Investment-Advisor/dp/1518690963

 

In retirement, how much of your nest egg should you spend each month?

According to a new survey, a large share of near-retirees thinks they can safely withdraw 10% or more of their savings annually. This suggests that millions of people may be in for a shock. The average nest egg amount is only $172,000. Given this, a 10% withdrawal rate or $17,000 will end retirement income in 30 years with $3,500 in your final year. There are many factors that determine how much you will NEED in retirement but my readers say that they are spending MORE than they anticipated during their leisure years. Without a formal plan of estimating income and spending, you may be in for a difficult future. One thing each of my readers tells me is that they wish they had invested more aggressively early on. They were mislead by an advisor who did NOT try to match their age to their risk tolerance: stock funds early.  

Manage expectations: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Spending-Plan-insurance-investments/dp/1482723123

 

 

Another way the wealthy hide their assets

Property in Manhattan linked to now-sanctioned Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska was held using a Delaware LLC. An LLC is a Limited Liability Company. It can be set up with very little information about the owners—another LLC or trust could be the ‘managing member’ on the registration. Financial secrecy in the US, which was called the most complicit country in helping individuals hide wealth this week by the Tax Justice Network, an advocacy group for tax fairness, is finally being challenged by some states. “People are shocked to learn about this loophole in the law that allows purchasers to go undetected,” said New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, a Democrat who sponsored a bill heading to the floor of the legislature. “Certainly, the focus on the international super-rich who have propped up the Putin regime has rekindled interest in the effort.” The invasion of Ukraine has raised concerns from London to New York about how anonymous shell companies complicate tax enforcement. One of the most well-known users of this technique is our former president. Assets and income are hidden in hundreds of LLCs so he pays almost nothing in taxes. His business dealings are kept secret through LLCs. Using shells, he claimed he personally ‘lost’ (on paper) almost a $ Billion, thus reducing his taxes for “almost two decades.”

Rich Avoid; We Pay: https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Socialism-Rich-little-people/dp/1535218584

 

Are “inflation-protection” securities right for you?
These funds are designed to protect investors from the eroding effect of inflation by investing primarily in securities that seek to provide a “real” return. The funds focus on investments in inflation-protected bonds that are backed by the full faith and credit of the federal government and whose principal is adjusted based on inflation. These funds have moderate to high interest rate risk, meaning that changes in interest rates, both up and down, can affect the fund by resulting in lower bond prices or an eventual decrease in income. Average annual returns have been 5% since 2000 but down 6% year to date. The bonds have 7 year duration so these bonds don’t protect you from changes in value. When interest rates rise, bonds lose value. However, over time you are protected from long periods of high inflation. Owning stocks are another way to protect yourself from inflation in the long run. Consider your time horizon and income needs before buying these fixed rate bonds.

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

 

 

 

?**********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

 

Jan 6 2021 Direct assault failed: guns & bombs ready

 

Trumpist’s Supremes end personal rights except weapons

 

Nov 8 2022 Trump’s “national revolution”

 

 

 

 

 

How Govt wastes our money:

GOP has wasted its anti-voting efforts: Dems ride the backlash by voting 3X more

 

2^nd Amendment right: body armor not guns for all: guard’s gun got him killed

Federal agents must intervene when they see other law enforcement using excessive force

21 kids teachers die for “freedom” to kill kids with assault guns: we’re crazy to allow it

 

America stops abortion (kill unborn) but allow children to kill children with assault guns

Young adults need the draft not guns: TX allows 18 yr olds to kill: no license; no training

4,357 children & teen gun deaths 2020

 

Subsidies to drug makers allow them to stop making necessary but less profitable drugs

 

Congress knew Abbott stopped making formula in February: Tax breaks not plant repair

Biden promises we will fight China for Taiwan: Dems new get tough stand?

 

senators shrug to 2nd monthly mass shootings and go on vacation: show them dead kids

 

SCAMS/SPINS:

Conservative Christians hide clergy sex abuse just like Catholics: Trump hides crimes too

Catholic tithes and donations mishandled by the Vatican just like US politicians & Trump

 

Trumpist Sen Perdue attacks Stacey: ‘demeaning her own race’: Perdue shows his racism

Trump’s ‘hang Mike Pence’ incitement may have gone too far for Americans: Threats

FL bans ‘social justice’ from social studies: only dream society can exist in FL

 

Getzville NY debt collectors caught using all the illegal tactics known: $2 mil fine, no jail

Surgery bills based on target profits not on actual costs: $303,709 not $1,337 promised

Long-term care policy costs rise: only 50% owners keep paying: some reduce benefits

Nationwide caught overcharging deferred-to-immediate-annuity exchange clients: fine

Michael Francis Shillin caught promising great returns on stocks never bought: fine jail

TradeZero caught stopped trading certain stocks: lied to investors: fine no jail

 

Formula scam: online/private sellers double price since shelves empty

Scammers ask for Zelle money and then your bank says, “It’s your fault.”

Seniors scammed: Congress to pay for investigations/enforcement: it’s about time

Woodland Behavioral Nursing NJ caught ignoring patient care: NJ names receiver

Recall 240,000 Hyundai Cars Explosive Seatbelt Parts: pyrotechnic-type pretensioners 

Abbott kept selling infected formula after found in plant: Abbott didn’t clean

Jif peanut butter recalled potential salmonella contamination

Improve memory with cranberries not unproven ground jellyfish in Prevagen

COVID-19 daily deaths are 305: 1,004,122:

Ukraine war as explained to working Russians: Putin controls the media: Tucker is star

Are you banned from Russia by Putin? Putin favors Trump, McConnell, Tucker

 

Jobs

Best colleges for the money: facts about your choice and your loans

Bank of America raises hourly minimum wage to $22

Apple to increase starting pay for U.S. workers to $22

 

JPMorgan Plans to Hire 1,300 More Advisors Over Next Three Years

Just 8% of Manhattan office workers were on-site five days a week loving home-work

 

Who owns your account now?

Funeral Consumers Alliance helps you plan a funeral you did not want to have to do.

Which BBQ grill is best for you? Consumer Reports tips.

"the average 35-year-old's student debt: 287% greater than value of their original loan"

 

When you disagree with the IRS, you have rights, at least on paper

 

Miracles:

SF Catholic church bans Pelosi for women choice but killed children in native schools

Tucker thanks Hunter Biden: help getting Tucker kid into college: anti Biden just politics

Brits want to try a new (OLD) sovereign: has Charles ever run or managed anything?

2 orders of fish and chips cost 23 Pds ($30) now: fish from Russia

 

Quick Easy test for Covid FREE: https://www.covid.gov/tests

Too easy: 2 year old orders 31 cheeseburgers on DoorDash for $91.58: Next new crib?

A new battery design could last for an entire 100 years:

World’s first double hand transplant for scleroderma

 

 

Police wait: Teen Kills 21 in 40 minutes: classroom door locked police out

US allows assault rifles with 30 rounds sold to children 18

 

Pakistan hits 120°F as climate trends drive spring heatwave: warming kills wheat

 

 

@

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/

 

The Essential Financial Life

Keep It Simple: The Essential Financial Life

The best guarantee of lifelong security is having money.
Complicated finance doesn't work.
Complicated products are expensive.
Complicated money plans are not followed.  

      Wouldn’t you like to assure yourself of tax-FREE growth and income for the rest of your life? We don't need complicated insurance, mutual funds, or financial products to have the good life. We avoid the two KILLERS of wealth accumulation—taxes and fees.

I help you decide which financials are best for you, now and later. You make your money work harder for YOU; not your advisors. You don't give them 2-3% of your money every year. Your investment edge is … the miracle of compounding. http://www.amazon.com/Keep-Simple-Essential-Financial-Life/dp/1492258849

Do you support American-made goods? Buy a Toyota Camry not Ford Fusion

Camry is THE reliable American-made car—80% by American workers. Most mass- market ‘foreign’ cars are made in America, while a lot of ‘American’ cars are NOT fully made in America.  http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2011/06/how-much-of-your-car-is-made-in-america/index.htm  Many expensive cars are made outside the US including Caddy SRX. http://abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica/page/made-america-car-american-made-13795239 Manufacturers source car parts by price, including transportation. Just like beer.

Your favorites are probably made by Belgium-Brazilian  InBev, which makes Bud, Michelob, Bass Ale, Corona, Beck’s and Stella Artois. But Bud gave up on Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hops in favor of cheaper hops. The top 40 execs gave themselves a bonus from the savings. The German farmers had to retire. Yuengling and Sam Adams are the largest American-owned breweries, for now.

Are you liable for damages if you text a driver causing an accident?

A New Jersey appeals court ruled on Tuesday that a person could have a legal duty to avoid texting with someone who is driving. Disagreeing with a lower court, a panel of judges found that when a motorist is texting while driving and causes an accident, the person who was exchanging messages with the driver can also be liable for negligence.

But the bar is high. The person had a “special reason” to know the driver was on the road and would read the messages. Only in NJ though.

Donald TrumpU is asked for HIS “birth” certificate!

Last week, the New York Attorney General sued Donald Trump over a host of allegedly illegal practices engaged in by Trump's real estate ‘seminars.’ The AG's alleges nasty practices like promising actual hand-picked teachers with actual real estate experience. Donald’s “University” has no ‘birth’ certificate. Can’t practice “educating” without a license.

Did you celebrate Labor Day?

Underemployment rate near 15%. Not much to party about. Labor lost to capital: Wages fell as productivity grew nearly 8%. Output and profits increased as workers earned less. Capital earned more. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that between 2007 and 2012, wages fell for the lowest 70 percent of all wage earners, despite productivity growth of 7.7 percent. Since 1978, CEO pay at American firms has risen 725 percent, more than 127 times faster than worker pay over the same time period, according to new data.

As a result, American income inequality has skyrocketed, growing worse than it is in countries like Pakistan and Ivory Coast. Wealth inequality is worse than it was even in Ancient Rome. And, as pay skyrockets and tax rates fall for the richest Americans, the rising inequality has left the bottom 95 percent of Americans saddled with more debt than ever before.

Broker infractions on display

The SEC has approved more broker disciplinary information access. The new proposal would disclose all historic complaints dating back to 1999 for individual brokers who are currently registered or whose registrations were terminated within the preceding two years. The new proposal calls for making a former broker's record public for 10 years, so investors can access information about individuals who may work in other sectors of the financial services industry or who have attained other positions of trust. http://brokercheck.finra.org/Search/Search.aspx

Texans skip ObamaCare and go to ER

Texas again leads the nation in the rate of uninsured. More than 25 percent of the state's population under age 65 -- 5,771,479 people -- has no health insurance coverage, according to recent Census Bureau data. In 24 Texas counties, a third or more of residents are uninsured. Many of the uninsured are working adults whose employers do not offer insurance coverage or for whom the cost of coverage is prohibitive.

The health care needs of the uninsured do not go away simply because they lack health insurance. The cost of providing care to these 5.7 million people is borne by hospitals, taxpayers, and the privately insured. Hospitals are providing $5.5 Billion in uncompensated care each year. Premium costs for private insurance are $1,800 higher, on average, due to uncompensated care for the uninsured.

SCAMS           “Deficits don’t matter” Republican godfather, Dick Cheney, 2002

We taxpayers spend $53 BILLION so others can listen to our phone calls

Every year we pay people to listen in and “analyze” our talk, email, etc.

Seems like a lot for a lot of bull. Terrorists don’t speak English so the $53 BILLION may just keep a million people off the unemployment lines. Didn’t stop 9/11/01 or Boston bombing. 

Wealthy buy another country residency

Southern Europe’s cash-strapped governments are wooing wealthy home buyers from overseas by offering so-called golden visas to purchasers of high-end properties. Portugal, Greece, and Cyprus are offering temporary-residency permits to foreign investors. Min. bid is €250,000. Cyprus is already “booming with Chinese investors,” says Nikolas Michalias, a local real estate appraiser at G&P Lazarou who spends half the year in China promoting golden visas tied to real estate investments. “Every day there are more than 20 Chinese nationals landing in Cyprus to search for property.”

This sounds like Romney country: corporations are people, my friends. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2h8ujX6T0A

See the data on you that is bought and sold for $ billions everyday

The data on the site, called AbouttheData.com, includes biographical facts, buying patterns, clothing size, interests and medical needs. To see your data, you give your SS#:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/business/a-data-broker-offers-a-peek-behind-the-curtain.html How did they obtain that?

List of some companies buying and selling your information without your consent:

http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201207_cfpb_list_consumer-reporting-agencies.pdf

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ 07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

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

Your Investment Edge

Your Investment Edge: A Tax-FREE Growth and Income Account

In these times, you need an Edge to get ahead on investments. Tax-FREE accumulation provides an extra 25% to your investment total. If you earned 15.3% last year, you could have made the equivalent of 23.3%. You never pay taxes—no federal, state, capital gains or dividend taxes.  Start your EDGE today for free.

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Investment-Edge-Tax-FREE-Account/dp/1482695677

Why Washington feels free to cut our “entitlements”

Ever wonder how our “representatives” will survive in retirement after all the money they want to take away from hard working Americans. They don’t have to worry since they pay less and receive more than almost any American worker. Plus their health benefits are better than ours. Their retirement package also includes Social Security. Half of them are already millionaires—buying stocks of companies they know will go up because they passed bills making it so. They don't need to worry about benefit cuts. They have $ millions.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/how-congress-members-retirement-package-compares-yours-1C8823621

Will your long-term care insurance premium go up again?

The cost of a typical U.S. individual long-term care insurance (LTCI) policy increased 20 percent between 2012 and 2013. It increased 16% in 2012. Insurers' LTCI rates vary widely, according to one observer. "For a 55-year-old single policy applicant, the highest-priced policy cost 87 percent more than the comparable lowest-priced policy." There are big variations in benefits also. The insurer may be out of business by the time you need it. Compare alternatives before you commit:  

http://www.amazon.com/Long-term-Care-Insurance-Updated-2013/dp/148274001X/

States profiting from our money

Some states are making money from our rightful assets. Even if you try to claim the assets, they may have been sold and are gone.  In one case, a person bought Apple stock in the 1980s from a broker. The broker must turn them over to the state after a certain time. The state sold the shares for pennies and kept the money. The $20,000 in stock is gone. There is no standard rule when brokers, bankers, other fiduciaries give up our money to the state. According to the SEC, most states declare stocks abandoned in 5 years. If you are a long-term investor, you are at risk unless you do something. Institutions have their own rules about abandonment. Check your stock’s location today. I got no answer when I asked the SEC what we could do about this. http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/05/pf/unclaimed-money/index.html

CA turns down Blues increase

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced that the 11.7 percent average rate increase imposed by Blue Shield of California Life and Health Insurance Company is unreasonable.

MN tax filers cautioned about TurboTax

Minnesota Department of Revenue has been advising taxpayers not to use Intuit products, including TurboTax, to file your Minnesota taxes in any form, electronically or on paper. According to the Department of Revenue, Intuit has discovered “multiple issues” with their products affecting 2012 Minnesota tax returns. These problems include errors with property tax refunds, education expenses and political contributions. The Department of Revenue advises taxpayers that these issues could “jeopardize the accuracy of your return or delay your refund.” Tax prep sites listed by the IRS charge nothing for the federal filing. States’ returns can cost $10. http://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free

IL wants to cap LTCi rate hikes at 15%??!!!

A bill under consideration in the Illinois legislature would cap long-term care insurance (LTCi) rate hikes at 15 percent annually. An increase of 15% a year would double the annual premium in 5 FIVE years. $2,000 at age 55 would mean $4,000 at age 60 and $8,000 by age 65. There are alternatives:http://www.amazon.com/Long-term-Care-Insurance-better-alternatives/dp/147006877X

Kaiser scores top marks from healthy

For the sixth consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente ranked highest in customer satisfaction for health insurance among California policyholders.

Most families overpay for less coverage 

A Survey of 600 independent agents finds most families insured by mass-market carriers remain vulnerable to severe financial loss and overlook discounts. Families often do not carry enough liability coverage in a variety of forms. Too often, their homes and contents are not adequately protected. Meanwhile, these families also overlook many savings opportunities, such as higher deductibles and package discounts. By taking advantage of these savings opportunities and strengthening coverage against severe loss, families can often achievemore effective protection without a significant increase in premiums. Pay less for more protection using discounts and smart choices: http://www.amazon.com/Homeowners-Insurance-Beware-Coverage-Policy/dp/1480100870

Actual paper stocks and bonds going digital

The trade organization representing hundreds of securities firms, banks and asset managers in the U.S.supports the push for dematerialization. (Mr Spock says that means NO MORE HARD COPY PAPER securities.) Even restricted securities would become entries on a statement. That would be your only proof you own any stock, bond, shares, etc. The change will take years. The required holding time for the destruction of non-transferable securities (bankrupt or insolvent) will be reduced from six to four years. But look what happened to the Apple stock owner above who did not have paper shares.

Why is our wealth going in the wrong direction?

While the median net worth decreased for all age groups, older households lost the most money. Among households headed by someone age 65 or older, median net worth decreased in 2010.  Retired couples were worth a median of $307,728 in 2010. For seniors, most of the net worth is in housing, which they can't eat. $170,128 is the amount the average retiree has to carry them through 30 years of retirement.

How does a parking lot attendant accumulate $500,000 in stocks?

Mr Earl Crawley earns less than $20,000 a year. He has paid off his mortgage and has no debts. He raised a family. He doesn't use stock trading, get-rich-quick schemes or pyramid marketing. He invested small amounts each month, reinvested his dividends and held blue chip stocks like Exxon, Bank America, etc.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD0svDGyLWU

What can we learn from this guy? 

http://www.kiplinger.com/article/investing/T047-C000-S002-investing-with-nickels-and-dimes.html

SCAMS           “Deficits don’t matter” GOP grandfather, Dick Cheney, 2002

Regulators stopped a get-rich-quick scheme for a secret “plasma engine” that took $1.4 million from 100 “investors.” Unfortunately doesn’t work. Sounds good, though. 

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ 07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

Double Your Wealth Power

Double Your Wealth Power

Use compounding of low-cost mutual funds and a tax-FREE account to double your power to build wealth. Even in 2012, with a slow economy, our members’ 10 Vanguard funds continued to earn over 11.5% averaged over the last 30 years. You avoid ALL taxes on accumulations now, and, even better, when you take the money out. You benefit from the two most important investment engines of all time—NO TAX and COMPOUND INTEREST. As Warren Buffett said, "My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest." http://www.amazon.com/Double-Your-Wealth-Power-Compound/dp/1481863029/

Did you consider these “Best public college” choices yet?

http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/

19 States To Have Own Health Care Exchange – check state map below

The exchanges set minimum standards for healthcare and allow those who don't have insurance through their employer to comparison shop for the plan they like best -- much like how travel websites allow comparison shopping for airline tickets.

The Obamacare law does not mandate a state create a health insurance exchange, but does hold that if an individual state does not create their own exchange or partner with the federal government to create one, the federal government will create one for them. Most Democratic states have moved to create their own exchange while most Republican-controlled states have resisted. Only four states with Republican-controlled legislatures have created the health exchange -- Idaho, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico -- the Times said.http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Maps-and-Data/State-Exchange-Map.aspx

Vanguard leads price reductions in the cost of stock ETFs

Most of Vanguard’s U.S. equity sector ETFs now charge 0.14%, which is down from 0.19% and well below the 0.18% charge for equity sector SPDR funds. This could mean an extra 50% in your nest egg over time. Low-cost stock funds beat high-cost funds over every time period, according to independent rating firm, Morningstar.

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Retirement-Mutual-Funds-retirement/dp/1481114026

Have you made these common financial mistakes?  The experts make them

Even John Bogle, founder, Vanguard, made them.

http://www.investmentnews.com/gallery/20130103/FREE/103009999/PH&Params=Itemnr=1  Bogle tells how the investment industry changed from putting the customer first to putting the managers’ bonuses first. Video:http://www.investmentnews.com/section/video?playerType=CMWealth&bctid=1990485981001

Has your company pension been shorted again?

A new study indicates that the aggregate pension funded status is estimated to be 75% at the end of 2012, compared to 78% at the end of 2011. Overall, pension plan funding decreased by $79 billion last year, leaving a deficit of $418 billion at the end of 2012. Results are from pension plan data for the 429 Fortune 1000 companies that sponsor U.S. defined benefit pension plans and have a December 31 measurement date. http://www.towerswatson.com/united-states/press/8790

Your Retirement Mutual Funds: 10 mutual funds to make sure your retirement income last as long as you!

Your investment plan assures you of income AND growth.

Your spending plan assures you of income for life.

Your Wealth ReserveTM provides TAX-FREE income for life.

Your tax-advantaged mutual funds grow at 10-12% per year.

Start today! Every year you delay costs you $100,000 later

Ten diversified mutual funds assure us of retirement income AND inflation-busting growth we can't outlive.

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Retirement-Mutual-Funds-retirement/dp/1481114026

Watch out where you drive!

According to the Alabama Department of Revenue, 22 percent of drivers in Alabama do not carry mandatory liability insurance. Those records also show Alabama is the sixth-highest rate of uninsured drivers among the states. In Mississippi there are an estimated 28 percent of motorists uninsured. In New Mexico, Tennessee,Oklahoma and Florida, about one-quarter of drivers have no insurance. In New Hampshire you are not required to have insurance but 90% have it.

Safest cars 2013

Winners include the Acura TL; Dodge Avenger and its twin, the Chrysler 200 4-door; Ford Fusion; Honda Accord 2-door; Honda Accord 4-door; Kia Optima; Nissan Altima 4-door; Subaru Legacy and its twin, the Subaru Outback; Suzuki Kizashi; Volkswagen Passat and Volvo S60. The Acura TL and Volvo S60 are midsize luxury cars. The other models are midsize moderately priced cars.http://www.iihs.org/ratings/tsp_current.aspx

SCAMS           “Deficits don’t matter” GOP leader Dick Cheney

Are any of the 2013 tax credits for your benefit?

New tax law includes 50 tax breaks including credits for race track owners, moviemakers, electric motorcycles. Our rep are digging a bigger hole

http://news.yahoo.com/tax-law-packed-breaks-businesses-212341577.html

Insurers and Feds dragging out Sandy payment process

Hopes of getting the hardest-hit stretches of the Jersey Shore rebuilt by next summer are fading, as delays in insurance settlements mount and uncertainty hangs over federal aid. Insurers used the same tactic for Katrina repairs. Some are still unpaid.

More than 70,000 property owners have filed claims with the National Flood Insurance Program, according to FEMA. The agency would not say how many of those claims had been settled, but in communities up and down the Shore, property owners and local officials reported that only a small percentage of homeowners had seen flood insurance settlements two months after Sandy made landfall.

Some property owners filed with FEMA and were sent small business loan applications instead of receiving help. The application is longer than a new home mortgage app.

Why Sandy help was not approved—more Washington games

The Sandy bill contained pork—spending for projects that have nothing to do with Hurricane Sandy or the victims, including millions of dollars for tree planting in areas untouched by Sandy and a new roof for theSmithsonian Museum. Only $1 out of every $6 — $9 billion of the $60 billion will be spent in 2013. That means 85 percent doesn’t come until 2014 and beyond.

The bill also provides $336 million for Amtrak (10 times President Obama’s request of $32 million), $150 million for fishery disaster relief, for which recipients in Alaska and Mississippi will be eligible, $50 million for the National Park Service’s historic preservation fund (twice its annual funding), and $50 million for employee retraining programs.  According to the Heritage Foundation’s Matt A. Mayer, there is $28 billion for “future disaster-mitigation projects on the East Coast,” which is a large component of the 64 percent of the funding that will be spent after 2014.  Whether or not these unrelated spending initiatives are worthwhile, they deserve more scrutiny than they will receive as part of an enormous Sandy relief bill being rushed through a lame-duck session of Congress.

Who owns your account now?

Presidential Life to Athene Annuity & Life Assurance Company 

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ 07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

Avoid taxes on your earnings

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"My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest." Warren Buffett, $80 billion investor

Teacher pensions sell off gun maker stocks … finally

From California to New York, teacher and public-worker retirement funds are reconsidering their investments in gun makers and confronting an uncomfortable fact: Their pensions have supported the manufacture of deadly weapons, in some cases the same type of gun used in the Connecticut school shooting. For years, the gun industry has been a reliable investment, attracting tens of millions of dollars from some of the nation's largest retirement funds. Now they are taking another look.

How could we improve the economy if players took personal responsibility?

As we make our way out of the financial recession, three suggestions might help: make executives pay for corporate misdeeds out of their own pockets, make regulators pay with their jobs when they screw up, allow lawsuits against those that provide positive ratings to bad products, and ask overly paid CEOs to compete by leadership not greed. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/business/four-paths-toward-a-better-2013-in-business.html

Health care changes for the good of patients!

Health-care innovations aren't limited to drugs and devices. Experts increasingly are adopting new ways to treat patients that studies show are better at healing the sick, preventing disease, improving patients' quality of life and lowering costs. Here are 10 innovations that took root in 2012 and are changing the care patients will get in 2013. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324296604578179723798981586.html

Million AL drivers still have no liability insurance

The owners of the 900,000 Alabama vehicles without liability insurance stand a better chance of getting caught starting Jan. 1. That's when the state will start enforcing a law designed to crack down on motorists who don't abide by Alabama's mandatory insurance law.

Do you really need a disability income policy?

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http://www.amazon.com/Disability-Insurance-Cash-better-Self-insure/dp/1481843893/

Nursing Homes with Most Serious Deficiencies

Homes with Most Fines

Use this tool to compare nursing homes in a state based on the deficiencies cited by regulators and the penalties imposed in the past three years. You can also search more than 58,000 nursing home inspection reports to look for trends or patterns. http://projects.propublica.org/nursing-homes/

Women lose their health care at increasing rate

About 115,000 women lose their private health insurance every year in the wake of divorce, according to a University of Michigan study. And this loss is not temporary: women's overall rates of health insurance coverage remain depressed for more than two years after divorce. "Given that approximately one million divorces occur each year in the U.S., and that many women get health coverage through their husbands, the impact is quite substantial," said Bridget Lavelle, a U-M doctoral candidate in public policy and sociology, and lead author of the study, which appears in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

SCAMS           “Deficits don’t matter” GOP leader Dick Cheney

Do you know where our bottled water comes from?

In a lawsuit against Nestlé Waters we learn those bottles contain filtered municipal tap water. The case echoes allegations in a previous case against Nestlé Waters, which sells Ice Mountain and other popular U.S.bottled water brands, including Poland Spring, Arrowhead, Deer Park, Ozarka, Calistoga, Zephyrhills and Nestlé Pure Life. Nestlé Waters tops the surging U.S. bottled water market, with a 32% share.

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola also have drawn legal challenges on their popular bottled water brands. A 2007 case filed in New York federal court charged that Pepsi's advertising, marketing and labeling on the company's Aquafina brand "failed to inform consumers that the source of the water was public tap water, not water from an inherently cleaner source, such as a mountain."

Pruco caught overcharging customers

The regulators ordered Pruco Securities to pay more than $10.7 million in restitution, plus interest, to customers who placed mutual fund orders with the company between 2003 and 2011. Finra also fined Pruco $550,000 for its pricing errors and for failing to have an adequate supervisory system and written procedures in this area.

Our personal info sold without our OK or our commission

The FTC wants to know what the brokers do with the information they collect from consumers. It also wants to know if the data brokers let consumers review and correct their personal information or opt out from having their personal information sold to a third party. Data brokers are not required by law to disclose to consumers the information they collect on people's finances, race and ethnicity, shopping habits, social media updates, health concerns and more. By some estimates, these brokers stockpile several thousand details on the majority of adults in the U.S. In June, Pasadena company Spokeo agreed to pay $800,000 to settle charges it illegally sold personal information for employment screening. Congress has yet to pass a law to let us see our data before brokers sell it. Dem Rockefeller said, "American consumers deserve to know who is collecting information about them."

Steve Jobs left his $138 million yacht in hock in Holland. Can’t he use it now??

New York Stock Exchange was purchased by ICE, an Enron-type outfit. ICE trades energy derivatives and has done well and so will pay $8B to own the markets.

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ 07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com