Friday, April 3, 2015

Wealthy avoid the sales tax too!

Would you like to be exempt from sales tax?
Yes, your big-ticket purchase could be exempt from up to the 8.875% tax. Saving their donors cash is what legislators do for a living. Of course, lawmakers can’t call it the “gift to billionaires” tax evasion bill so they call it “saving jobs”: this tax “break brought jobs to the state for repairs, renovations, and resupply.” Right! Another trick for the wealthy to pay less.
Use the tax break for working people: http://www.amazon.com/Tax-Shelter-Americans/dp/1500426520

Use all the credits and deductions you qualify for
Many credits are refundable—you INCREASE your refund when you take some credits. See EIC, CTC, EC, CDC, SC, and many more but you have to know they exist to take them. The IRS does not advertise how to get your money back—you must ask for it like the big corporations do. 2/3rds of all businesses pay NO income taxes.

Do you qualify for an ObamaCare tax credit of $5,760?
You may qualify for a credit of $5,760 or more when you file your tax return if you have used the Marketplace to buy your family health plan. Learn how to qualify:

Teacher’s investment strategy beat advisor/broker’s picks--WOW
It turns out teachers are beating Wall Streeters at their own game. Teachers’ investing returns outperformed those of advisors/brokers in the past year, 10.2% to 6.9%. In fact, teachers saw the best returns of any profession. Why? Simple math, Buffett says.

On average, 45 percent of job seekers age 55 and older have been looking for a long time, according to the BLS, which defines long term as 27 or more weeks without work. To address the reluctance of employers to consider such workers, the Obama administration last year started an initiative to encourage private and public companies to hire the long-term unemployed. Some have found work with less pay and some have started their own businesses. Others have stopped looking and take Social Security benefits early. Growing fields include health care and technology with top jobs in 2015 outlook.

GOP crazies
Future GOP President Cruz:  "We will presumably go on the [ObamaCare] exchange and sign up for health care and we're in the process of transitioning over to do that," Cruz told the Des Moines Register's Jennifer Jacobs. Cruz shut down the government which cost over $200 million because he did not like ObamaCare. Thankfully he did not really mean to end the insurance he now uses. 

Head of Bush Torture Department stomping for Jeb?
Dick Cheney will headline their annual NRCC March fundraiser. “Vice President Dick Cheney is a dedicated public servant and we are honored to have him as our keynote speaker for this year’s March Dinner” said Rep. Greg Walden, Oregon Republican and chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), also calling Mr. Cheney a “true patriot.” Is Jeb committed to another war?

GOP vision for working Americans is bleak—service cuts and more taxes
The Senate on Friday passed a budget that envisions more than $5 trillion in cuts over the coming decade by slashing health care and other benefits for working families and the middle class while leaving tax breaks in place for the wealthiest Americans and multi-national corporations. Twenty-seven million Americans would lose health insurance under the Republican plan as they eliminate the Affordable Care Act and make huge cuts to Medicaid. "What they are proposing is major cuts in programs for some of the most vulnerable people in this country — the elderly, children, sick and low-income people,” said Sen Bernie Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. “At the same time they want to give significant tax breaks to the wealthy and the large corporations.” During the week-long debate Republicans rejected proposals to create millions of new jobs, raise the minimum wage, help students afford college, and protect seniors on Social Security and Medicare.

GOP state gov deficit creation
Kansas tax cut for rich failed. No trickle down to raise jobs. Deficit explodes. 
New Jersey’s public-pension managers are proposing more investment in hedge funds and distressed real estate to protect against risks in the bond market should U.S. interest rates rise. NJ has gambled with teachers’ pensions before and lost. Hedge funds trailed the S&P500 Index for the fifth straight year as U.S. markets rallied to record levels. George Santayana. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

"I'm not here to be bullied," Christie opponents scream
The protesters were escorted out of the auditorium by security as a largely friendly crowd cheered. Christie has been holding weekly town hall meetings across the state touting his proposal to further ‘reform” the state's public worker health care and pension system. He failed to make payments to the system as promised. He was asked to explain giving up the $9 billion settlement with EXXON in return for campaign contributions. He refused.


IN GOP uses “religious freedom” words as disguise for discrimination
IN law allows a retail outlet to not serve someone you “think” does not hold the same religious views as you. How is that not discrimination? A business could say you look Jewish or catholic and not give you a room in hotel, as has happened in past. What could GOP hope to gain by this law if not to secure the religious (protestant white) right vote? This is a law that puts religious believe above the law we all must follow. Even a protestant denomination with HQ in IN has come out against such a law.


Do index mutual funds tracking the market reduce your risk?
Morningstar data shows you can reduce some risks by using market-index funds at cost. You make a commitment to stay in the market and not trust the bet of one gambler’s (advisor's) guesses.

Why economy does not grow quickly
Wages climbed by 1.3 percent from the second quarter of 2012 to the second quarter of 2014, compared to a 17 percent increase in home prices around that time, according to a new report from RealtyTrac. The real-estate data provider used the Labor Department's weekly earnings data to measure wage growth, while home prices were derived from sales-deed data in December 2014 and compared to December 2012 on the hypothesis that a change in average wages would take at least six months to affect home prices.
Using localized earnings data, RealtyTrac also found that 76 percent of housing markets posted increases in home prices that exceeded the wage growth there during that time frame. In many markets, the housing recovery has "largely been driven over the last two years by buyers who are not as constrained by incomes -- namely the institutional investors coming in and buying up properties as rentals, and international buyers coming in and buying, often with cash,” RealtyTrac said.

Your broker uses misleading claims?
A new report on nine major brokerage firms – Merrill Lynch, Fidelity Investments, Ameriprise, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Allstate Financial, UBS, Berthel Fisher, and Charles Schwab – found that all “advertise in a fashion that is designed to lull investors into the belief that they are being offered the services of a fiduciary.” But brokers are NOT acting in your best interests—that is the change they are fighting in Washington.
For example, the report said that Merrill Lynch advertises as follows: “It’s time for a financial strategy that puts your needs and priorities front and center.” Fidelity claims: “Acting in good faith and taking pride in getting things just right. The personal commitment each of us makes to go the extra mile for our customers and put their interests before our own is a big part of what has always made Fidelity a special place to work and do business.”
Wall Street’s excess fees can take up to 63% of our nest egg over time. http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Without-Wall-Street-Low-Commissions/dp/1442168137


Consumer Reports best new cars for $15,000+
Car buying has changed: Typical new breed of car buyer. Spend barely two hours at dealership. “All the negotiations were over email,” one 32-year-old buyer said. Once you settled on price, you show up, test drive, fill out the paperwork and go. Research and shop online. Salespeople do not have research, pricing, special offers, or low-cost financing. They do joy rides, treats/coffee, buyer-justification, high-cost extras and BS.

Is it time to refinance?
We just completed a refi of a 5.875% 30 year with 18 years left. We were pleasantly surprised that Quicken Loans was able to reduce our rate to 3.25% for 15 years and pay off our HELOC. Our rate and term are less while we are paying about the same monthly payment including our escrow for taxes and insurance. We had about 50% equity and earned income so we avoided PMI and higher closing costs. The Quicken process is very smooth—all docs and communication is online so you don’t have to play telephone tag. The closing is in your home at the time you pick with no lawyer fees.
We shopped three other lenders first. QL has JD Power awards for good service.
We understand why.

SCAMS           Why are we still paying $700 Billion a year for WWII deployments? That is 27 cents of each dollar in taxes—the largest part of our money—and we aren’t even at war. We could pay off our debts and fix our schools, roads and bridges!
We are paying for 164,253 of our active-duty armed personnel to be in 150 countries around the world. We have about 50,000 in Japan and 50,000 in Germany.
Are we preparing for WWII again? There are 1,208,083[1] armed personnel in the United States. Our taxes pay for about HALF of the WORLD’s military expenditures every year. We have wasted $398.6 billion so far on the F-35 program—they can’t fly safely.
We just can’t afford to pay for everyone else’s defenses anymore.
Japan, Germany and S. Korea can pay for their own defenses.
The War on Terror requires SEALS’ attacks on top terrorists at their homes. Iraq proved converting a nation to Western-style republic doesn’t work. Our trained troops ran away.
We are wasting $4 billion a year on Afgan tribal rivalries paying ransom to Al Qaeda.

Angie’s List takes money from vendors for higher positive reviews?
The complaint claims that service providers pay Angie’s List fees for higher rankings in member searches, to suppress negative reviews, and to ensure that positive reviews are not suppressed.

Two Wall Streeters may go to jail—NEW IDEA!
Benito Chinea and Joseph DeMeneses, Direct Access Partners, were sentenced to 4 years for bribing a Venezuelan bank in exchange for business. They must pay $3.68 million and $2.71 million in fines.

But ….not for Ameriprise Financial.
It has agreed to pay $27.5 million to settle a class-action claim alleging improper use of proprietary funds and high fees in its 401(k) plan. That’s 0.00027% of revenue and deductible—hardly incentive to stop charging us HIGH FEES.

Insurance agent steals from veterans
Patrice Sands, 45, sold the fraudulent policies at the Miami-based Make-A-Wish Veterans that provides assistance to veterans. Sands collected premiums and deposited the funds into bank accounts tied to her business, Universal Research Group Insurance Agency. One widow tried to collect. Sands could get 25 years.

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
Montclair, NJ 07042
973.746.2014
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