Friday, November 27, 2015

Pfizer leaves US with their tax bill

Another tax evader has gone overseas—Pfizer, NYC > Belfast
Pfizer and Allergan will join in a $160 billion deal to create the world's largest drugmaker. It's the largest so-called inversion in history, a tax-saving maneuver in which a U.S. company reorganizes in a country with a lower corporate tax rate. U.S. efforts to curb the practice have so far proven ineffectual. Botox maker Allergan is based in Ireland but runs much of its operations out of New Jersey.
You can’t get away with claiming you live in Ireland to cut taxes but …

Wealthy Americans are buying their way into ‘Citizen of the World’ status—low taxes
“Global citizenship” is becoming an increasingly popular tool for the world’s ultra wealthy. There are many different reasons why an ultra-high-net-worth individuals—min. $30 million—buy second citizenship, including stability, security, tax efficiency, ease of travel, higher standard of living, increased options for education and investment. The easy way is to buy a luxury villa—citizenship no charge. The annual savings in capital gains tax alone could reach $1 million. Villas and citizenship cost as little as $500,000. 

Tax evaders may lose passport=can’t get to tax havens
Yes, your gov may finally be doing something to get tax evaders to pay up. “I’d encourage U.S. people abroad… To make sure that their fiscal matters are in compliant and purchase by the New Year,” he explained.

Women worry about retirement for good reason
More women are concerned about their ability to retire than men, according to the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI). More than half of women (54 percent) are very concerned they will not be able to retire when they want and an almost equal number (53 percent) are concerned about being able to afford the lifestyle they want. Women earn less than men in same job and interrupt career investing to have a family.

Are municipal bonds (tax-free) right for you?
Buying bonds for tax-FREE income (interest) sounds good but beware. One Muni Bond Trade Can Cost $1,500 More Than You Realize. Brokers buy bonds cheap and sell them at a big profit when there is demand for them. You don’t know what the market price is so you may be gauged. That extra cost may destroy your tax advantage. “A year’s worth of interest can be wiped away simply by buying or selling a bond,” Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner Michael Piwowar said in a telephone interview. “People should know what they’re paying.” But isn’t that what you pay your broker for? No. Brokers work for profit-making firms and like real estate brokers; they are NOT on your side. This is why the fiduciary rule is so important and why the industry is fighting it so hard. Doing what is right for you is what regulators want brokers to do at least for retirement accounts. Paying an advisor a fee may get you a fairly priced muni but most people should use the not-for-profit management firms, TIAA or Vanguard: http://www.amazon.com/Forget-Wall-Street-Non-Profit-investment/dp/1519125720

Is a secure Retirement right for you?
Fears about Social Security, health care and retirement funds top the list of worries that U.S. households have, Hearts & Wallets says. Fewer people believe they are on track for building their retirement nest egg with the percentage dropping from 36 percent last year to 31 percent this year, the study says. There’s no one-size-fits-all advice for workers on post-retirement spending, another new study says. While 54.1 percent of retirees spent less or the same in the first two years after work, 45.9 percent spent more.
And of those spending more, 28 percent upped their outlays by 20 percent or more annually. It might be tempting to think the splurges are limited to the wealthy who can afford to travel to exotic locales, but the researchers found the spending increases occur across all income levels. The number of Americans spending more than they did while they were working declines by about a quarter by the sixth year of retirement. Some took 6% a year from principal not the 4% old advisory story.

Some employers force workers to take risky 401k options
At Intel you may be forced to invest in hedge funds and private placements with high fees and low returns. Management decides which options employees have and they may be limited to high-fee funds. You can reach retirement goals of $1 million by using your brain and guts as this 29 year old did or use the low-cost Buffett strategy: http://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffetts-Investment-Strategy-Forget/dp/1484822900

Schwab moves to offer mutual funds starting at just $100
Schwab has lowered the minimum initial investment for most mutual funds on its zero-transaction-fee Mutual Fund OneSource platform to $100, dropping the minimum for subsequent investments to $1. There are fees for redemption and broker services. Certain conditions apply. Schwab now offers the largest selection of funds available at a $100 minimum, allowing investors an easier path toward long-term savings and simplified options for diversification, the company said. Earn more, pay less.


Does our President need to be pragmatic and respect all religions?

“Without some alteration in our political creed, … We are fast verging to anarchy and confusion!” George Washington, 1786. Anger factor HIGH 2015.

Trump: Muslims to carry special ID just like Jews armband in Hitler’s Germany
            Trumped Up Worry--New study shows Mexicans are LEAVING U.S.
            Wants Cheney torture even though not effective against terrorists: War crime
            Back on pledge--Won’t support the GOP nominee unless self: Psychotic?
Carson: Jefferson wrote Constitution, gun control, and other B.S. he made up.
Kasich: Wants federal agency to promote "Judeo-Christian values" more taxes?


Clinton: Pfizer move to Ireland "will leave U.S. taxpayers holding the bag." 
            Tax credit when you take care of elderly—fund women SS/cheaper than Wall

Sanders: Qatar should spend its oil $Billions on fighting ISIS before they attack Qatar.
            Getting Arabs to have skin in the game.

Is democratic socialism right for you?
Your gov will pay you your pension if your company went out of business before paying you your pension money. PBGC pays nearly $6Billions in benefits to retirees. If you are receiving benefits, it is a ‘socialist’ program.
If you are over age 65 or poor, you are receiving medical benefits. That is ‘socialism.’
If you have ever been laid off and received gov benefits, that is ‘socialism.’
If you are retired or disabled and not able to work and receive SS benefits, that is ‘socialism.’
You pay for inspection and regulation of your Chipolte food, all food, medicine, toys, millions of dangerous chemicals and products--your car air bag, child seat, airplane, etc.
Thousands of citizens used to die because manufacturers had no incentive to check and recall their products. Despite GOP candidates, we want protection from companies!
Your water, electric and gas come from single ‘socialist’ companies.
The credit union is socialist and offers higher savings and lower mortgage.
Largest mutual fund is a not for profit owned by the shareholders and offers low fees.
Many largest insurance companies are not for profit and owned by policyholders.
Most Americans GOP And DEMS want government to strengthen economy, protect environment and maintain infrastructure. Majorities also want gov to help the poor and seniors.  

We have Socialism for the Rich
according to GOP election-funder Charles Koch
“This is creating a two-tiered system where opportunities for the disadvantaged are being destroyed and we’re creating welfare for the wealthy, so it’s unjust,” he told Yahoo.
Best example: GOP celebrated cut in farm subsidies in April and now reversing their cuts because farm corporations complained.

New companies don’t have unions but they pay lobbyists to guide our ‘Reps’
Today’s tech companies — even the youngest ones — have accepted lobbying as an essential part of doing business. In addition to knowing the language of computer code, founders are speaking the language of Washington—lobbying—so they win the regulatory battles. Internet companies have tripled their lobbying spending. Uber and Hello Alfred for example, outsource labor and almost all expenses so they don’t have anything to slow meteoric profits for investors.
Many move their legal address offshore to evade taxes: http://www.amazon.com/Only-little-people-pay-taxes/dp/1478222441

We need regulation—GOP is wrong—companies would not fix bad products on own
Regulators have handled over 749,400 financial complaints—many against banks                                                                www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
Gov forced more recalls 451,865 Ford gas tanks; 305,000 Hyundai brakes; Tesla belts 
Businesses can expense capital items (tablet, phone) up to $2,500 to ease admin in 2016. 
Regulators: Sands Brothers Asset Management broke custody rule--fine, no jail!
Bernard Parker, Indiana, PA stole $1.2 million by promising 6% returns--indicted

HOW CONGRESS WASTES OUR TAX DOLLARS
Special Inspector General John F. Sopko has spent years documenting waste, fraud and abuse in the U.S. military’s efforts to rebuild war-torn Afghanistan. We have spent $110 billion on reconstruction projects in Afghanistan. When adjusted for inflation, that total exceeds the value of the entire Marshall Plan effort to rebuild Western Europe, WWII.
=More than $8 billion in spending on counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan that have “failed by every conceivable metric. Afgans grow poppies like we grow corn.
=The purchase of nearly $500 million worth of airplanes that never could fly and had to be turned into scrap.
=Construction of a building that literally began to melt when it rained.
A $500,000 health clinic that lacked water and electricity. Newborn babies had to be washed in a nearby dirty river.

BioTerror detectors in every US city--$1Billion--not working!
The nation’s main defense against biological terrorism -- a $1-billion network of air samplers in cities across the country -- cannot be counted on to detect an attack, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.

Pentagon says pilots decided to hit hospital killing 30 after given bad coordinates
The Oct. 3 airstrike lasted more than an hour, killed at least 30 people, mostly doctors and patients and collapsed large parts of the hospital. Bomber’s computer with hospital GPS ID was not working. Pilots failed to confirm correct target by radio. US ignored hospital pleas to break attack and failed to use GPS location for target. Actual target was nearby and looked similar pilots claim. War crime suspected.

We pay bounty for contractors to run terrorist drones
Air Force has turned to civilian contractors to fly MQ-9 Reaper drones in "combat air patrols" to help track suspected militants. The civilians aren't supposed to pinpoint targets with lasers or fire missiles but we have skirted around the rules before. Mercenary fighters have provoked more wars in the past. Any civilian who is involved in waging such warfare would lose legal immunity under the law of armed conflict and could face prosecution by a foreign country, says Steven Ratner, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School.

SCAM
Vanguard’s low-fee structure incurs higher taxes in TX
Ex-employee gets bounty for sharing internal documents with TX audit that shows not-for-profit firm pays advisors less (so charges less fees) than “industry.” Tax law disallowed lower fees implying higher income than reported; thus owe taxes. Huh???

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ 07042
973.746.2014
Alerts 

No comments: