Friday, June 2, 2017

Are dividend-paying stocks right for you?

Are dividend-paying stocks right for you?
Riding on your portfolio output of dividends is the dream of every retired investor. Perfect combo of rising dividends and portfolio value provides you with inflation-fighting income and growth. Is this perfection possible? The Dogs of Dow tell you which stocks may be your ticket but part of the answer is how much you must pay for your dividend returns. Vanguard has again lowered its fees on funds that emphasize dividends. Why is this important: If you earn 3.05% on your fund but the cost is 1%, you keep only 2%--even less if taxable account. If the cost is 0.15% which is 86% lower than the average expense ratio of funds with similar holdings, you earn 2.9%. If your principal has increased over 13% during each of the last 5 years, you have a winner. Lucky for us, Vanguard funds are low-cost so no matter what happens in the future, we are NOT overpaying. Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index and Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund provide income and growth. Either will complement a bond fund like Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund with current yield of 4.67%. Since 1978 this fund has provided annual returns of 8.5%. Dividends and bonds can complement your Vanguard Top Ten: https://www.amazon.com/Vanguards-Top-Ten-mutual-funds/dp/150073909X

How does a 401k loan or cash out hurt you?
On average, about 30% to 40% of people leaving jobs elect to cash out their accounts and pay taxes and often penalties rather than leave the money or transfer it to another tax-advantaged retirement plan. The result is that you won’t have the money for an emergency and your nest egg will be severely reduced. A typical situation: cashing out your 401k when you change jobs. One case I worked on was a layoff. They were not able to secure a new position, so the option to transfer their 401k to a new job never happened. They were so concerned about their lost job and finding a new one, they did not investigate other options. So when the old firm reminded them they had $51,308 sitting in their account, they took it. Their unemployment was running out. They did not realize there would be taxes to pay – 20% withheld – and 10% penalty. That left about $35,000. If they had called a mutual fund company they could have had them move the money to an IRA investing in the same option they had at work. What did they give up? That $51,308 could have grown to $895,000 in a low-cost stock index account by the time they retired. This person could have temped or borrowed enough to live on until their next job started in about 6 months. Of course, they needed the money then and it was easy to get but after realizing what they gave up, they would have picked another option.

Trump could be a great president
He could nominate a politically-middle Supreme when the next one resigns. Instead of packing the Court with more questionable jurists like Scalia, Trump could keep the Court balanced. This would allow America to maintain a majority in the social mainstream and save a divisive split like Congress. It would maintain the choice women have in their health. It would keep corporations from flooding the election process with money. The Supremes can make sure that legitimate voters can continue to get to the polls when it is convenient. In recent years, GOP dominated state govts have limited hours, voting days and places so that an American must take off a day of work just to vote. Some waited 7 hours. Many states have deleted voter registrations based on arbitrary measures. Religious freedom is an important right but using it to discriminate against people you don’t like is wrong. Supremes must keep prejudice out of our lives to the extent they can. They need to balance my right to carry guns with the safety of all.
America only works as a democracy if we each share citizenship fairly and equally.

Fiduciary Rule back?
Firms and their advisers must comply with the exemptions’ conditions after June 9, 2017 if they receive compensation for investment advice in a manner that would violate the prohibited transaction rules, which are designed to protect retirement investors from conflicts of interest. Firms and advisers must either structure their compensation arrangements to avoid prohibited transactions or they must comply with an exemption such as the BIC Exemption or Principal Transactions Exemption. Advisors must give advice that is in our “best interest” but this is not made clear. This rule was made so that an 80 year old investor is not sold an annuity that left them with little cash. Most annuities are so complicated that no one understands them. Many firms have decided to move clients to a perpetual fee account so they can earn even more than an annuity over time. Your “best interest” may be to use a simple income annuity or dividend fund.

Trump budget increases wealth inequality; social instability
Trump loves creating debt so he can provide benefits to keep tax credit class happy. Some economists see his budget adding $10 Trillion to the national debt. His GOP staff says giving money to the rich will generate economic growth at TWICE the current rate. Since many think we are at full employment now, it would be impossible to double our output. GOP leaders have been reluctant to spend money for Obama’s plans so it will take great courage for them to reverse their stand and spend. Trump’s supporters – disability belts -- will see the greatest cuts—SS disability cut by $70 billions. Trump’s team likes to hold up Reagan as the beacon but he raised the debt from 35% of total production to 60% of GDP. Cutting taxes and having economic growth pay for it does NOT seem to work. Only Clinton, Carter, JFK-LBJ lowered the growth of debt relative to GDP. If this seems counterintuitive, the GOP lust for increasing the gap in wealth only makes sense to those who measure America by their asset size. Is America a better place to live in if 1% of us owns 50% of all assets? The top 10% of families -- those who had at least $942,000 -- hold 76% of total wealth. The average amount of wealth in this group was $4 million. Most of us have less than $200,000 including our home! Real incomes are the same as in the ‘70s. Increased health coverage costs mean less saved for retirement. Men without college are dropping out of the workforce due to lack of opportunity. We are becoming a two class society like ancient Rome.

This is what happens when you cut taxes for the rich—America’s future?
School children get less education. Oklahoma has closed schools. What is the future for students who cut their education so early in life? Is this how OK grows its economy? Does giving more money to the rich really grow jobs and opportunity? Like KS, GOP control since 2004 has led to fewer services, including public education. “These are all the result of a bad public policy and a lack of public-sector investment.” Workers won’t move to states with poor schools. This is what Trump has in store for all of us. Facing a $900 million budget gap in OK, Trump’s additional cuts will mean less learning unless you can send your kids to private school. Only Arizona, Idaho and Utah spent less per student. Teacher salaries are ranked 49th lowest. “If I were single, I’d be on welfare,” one said. Trump’s plan to cut education: Millions for private schools and charter schools.
There is a red America and a blue America; an educated and uneducated US. Not good!

How Russian propaganda works
A new media giant has challenged Fox to serve those who believe the alternative universe of anti-government anti-establishment messages. Sinclair is the largest owner of local TV stations in the nation. Sinclair would have 7 of every 10 Americans in its potential audience. Hackers provide data and false stories. With one piece of propaganda like the Clinton’s Pizza slave girl shop, provided by the Russian Information Warfare Management Cell, voters grabbed their guns and voted for the nihilistic alternative candidate who claimed “I can shoot someone on 5th Ave and not lose any voters.” Despite fact checking information readily available, Sinclair and Fox can easily be tricked into sending the majority of Americans over the cliff of the reasonable. The traitors led the shout out “lock her up.” Putin’s goals of destabilizing America and creating a vacuum of power around the world would be complete. The legit media is treated as the “enemy of the people” (a term Stalin used) by a Russian puppet who claimed ‘I Alone Can Fix It’ I will restore law and order” while actually breaking the law at every turn. Now most Americans see Putin/Russia favorably. He took Crimea, Ukraine and kills his opponents. We eat his venom and beat reporters.
The GOP beacon Reagan is turning in his grave. He spits out this poison.

Cars: better used than new
Regal sedan loses 31.2 percent of its original transaction price after 12 months on the road, according to this survey. 11 more that cost 1/3 less after one year are a Best buy. Plus someone else has had to take them in for manufacturing problems.
10 cars with greatest number of safety complaints include Jeep: http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobiles/cars-most-safety-complaints-since-2005.html/

Can GOP really live on $7.25 an hour wages?
Conservatives have not increased the wage guide for 17 years. Yet they wish to cut welfare, food stamps, child lunch programs, and just about every social safety net we have. Some hide from voters. Would low-pay workers need to be on all these programs if working people received enough hours at $15 to buy food, housing and health care? The GOP always cites “job loss” when raising the minimum wage comes up. Some say employers can’t compete in the world market with higher wages. But have they really considered how you live on $7.25 and the part-time limits of some employers because of health insurance requirements. Some states have moved to set $15 as a goal despite Washington’s intransigence. It turns out that low-pay jobs at McDonald and Walmart are being subsidized by tax payers because no human, even Congress people, can live on $7.25 even with their perks and benefits. In many states Walmart employees are the largest group of Medicaid recipients. Wages are at the same level as 1975 in terms of buying power. And when you consider the growth of wages of the head of the firms they work for, you can see how American Socialism for the Rich works.




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TrumpWorld
Goal: Trump brand around the world


covfefe
We can’t stop watching his “apprenticeship for president” show EVERY DAY!
Two Americas

Trump is still just a contractor from Queens—Fred taught him to be The Don.
Like mob boss, he asks Comey to let Flynn probe go, then asks for loyalty, then fires him, then threatens him. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/863007411132649473
Putin is not just another mob boss The Don is used to dealing with in NYC.

Trump lawyered up to fight Russian probe by Justice – criminal and civil charges.




Why travel ban banned: ‘in context it drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination.’ The president’s authority, the court said, ‘cannot go unchecked when, as here, the president wields it through an executive edict that stands to cause irreparable harm to individuals across this nation.’  

Which witch hunt?
Why is Trump/Jared making secret comm to Putin? Traitor? Subvert?

TrumpWorld – using presidency to make money the old fashioned way: Who you know.

Sergey Gorkov, Putin’s top financial operative, banker, consulted Jared in December.
Jared’s loans: Since 2013, Blackstone mutual funds has loaned more than $400 million to finance four Kushner Cos. deals -- two of which have not been reported -- making it one of the business’s largest lenders. And their ties go beyond the loans. Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone’s CEO, heads Trump’s business-advisory council and was in Riyadh with the president and Kushner. The Saudi promise to invest in Blackstone’s fund drove the firm’s stock up more than 8 percent
Jared’s art collection worth $ millions not disclosed in required disclosures.


Rich Russians buy Trump property. “Integrity” coat arms gone; now “Trump”




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Regulators are the only protection against corporations since we can’t sue anymore



We need regulation—GOP wrong—companies/cities wouldn’t fix bad products on own
GM killed 124 because ignition switch pin not replaced after knew it killed first in 2006.


Police want gun control.
When everyone has guns; your chance of being killed goes up. Police don’t know who to shoot. They assume everyone has one and shoot first. You and thief have guns. CO schools now allow teachers/administrators to carry guns in the classroom. Kid lesson! Since 2015, police have killed 86 people with realistic looking FAKE guns--suicide?

SCOTUS allows no knock home invasion by police who won’t even pay for injuries.

SCAMS:
The federal government is undergoing a rebranding agencies under [Trump].
NC GOP working hard to exclude Dem voters with new voter ID bill

Ignoramus Award:
Trump cuts scientific discovery so scientists go to China for funding – lose race to AI

How our government wastes our money:
We killed another 100 in Iraq with bomb meant for ISIS
$40 Billion system has hit target only 9 of 17 tests since 1999. Kim has 50% chance!
EpiPen, daughter of WV Sen Manchin overcharged us $1.27 Billion CA single-payor?

Where have all the jobs gone?
nursing and accounting show growth while others show decline.
Understand the formulas that do the hiring now: not grades, tests, school pedigree!


Job interview will ask for your salary requirements. Answer: I will research the range.
Which job board sites are best for your job search?

Cancel Robo calls with Mr NoMoRobo: https://www.nomorobo.com

Miracle:
Memorial Day for them too. Two strangers who stopped a man provoking two women.

IAN
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