Showing posts with label bank bailout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bank bailout. Show all posts

Friday, May 15, 2020

Will we pay higher taxes to continue subsidizing the rich?


Will we pay higher taxes to continue subsidizing the rich?
Even Wall Street execs know that taxes will go up to cover the debt Trump created with the 2017 tax breaks. Finance billionaires benefited more than just about anyone from President Donald Trump’s massive tax cuts. “Taxes have to go up -- and it will go up at the upper end,” Leon Cooperman, the outspoken hedge fund veteran. The 2017 law slashed corporate rates to 21% from 35%. That has since helped the nation’s biggest banks churn out record profits and given a boost to rich Americans despite Trump’s promise that they “will not be gaining at all.”

Is this socialism or capitalism?
Gov helps the most profitable companies: they have lobbyists who guide Reps

Will Trump cut SS benefits to cover his 2017 tax break deficits?
Social Security and Medicare would be on the chopping block in a second Trump term. Pointing to rising deficits, Republican senators have all but promised to gut entitlements if Trump gets four more years. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) was even more optimistic. “We’ve brought it up with President Trump, who has talked about it being a second-term project,” Barrasso said. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has made no secret of wanting to cut Social Security. In his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump said bluntly, “I’m not going to cut Social Security like every other Republican.” However, we know from our daily experience that Trump often says what is expedient at the time. Surprisingly, Dems are not using the issue to hold Congressional seats. The greatest irony in Republican’s “starve the beast” mentality is that Social Security does not even affect the deficit. So perhaps it’s not really about the deficit after all. Luckily, Trump can’t sign an order to cut the income for the 60% of retirees who count on SS benefits for half their retirement income.

What can you do with your bankrupt stock?
Neiman Marcus said it is filing Chapter 11 to restructure operations. 500 employees will be gone in months. A Chapter 11 restructuring could also wipe out debt and equity, create new ownerships and let the company close its underperforming stores, all while still operating. Chapter 11 bankruptcy signals that the company is asking the court to protect it from its creditors until it files a detailed plan for how it intends to recover financially. If the court accepts the plan, the company may renegotiate its debts, drastically cut its costs, and resume doing business. Over time, it may thrive and emerge from bankruptcy (or not). Common stock shares will be practically worthless at the moment, and the shareholder won't be able to sell the shares because no one would want them. There is at least a chance that the company will indeed recover and their shares will regain some of their value. Other public companies headed to court are J Crew, JC Penney, Forever 21, Pier 1, Modell’s as well as some restaurants.

Why does the stock market go up when employed goes down?
It makes no sense. In the 1930’s the Great Depression, markets and jobs fell. Now we have the opposite. Answer: anticipation: stocks have rallied aggressively off their March lows as Wall Street becomes increasingly optimistic about a reopening of the economy. Despite dismal economic data and first quarter corporate earnings reports, stocks have looked beyond the near-term turmoil caused by coronavirus. The market has moved higher—back to May 2019 level as several states—including Georgia, Florida, Texas and California—begin to reopen businesses and lift coronavirus lockdowns. The S&P 500 has bounced back more than 30% from its low in late March, now just 15% off a record high. The Nasdaq is more than 35% off its lows and on Thursday moved into positive territory for the year. Money managers don’t want to face the fact that the economy may take years to return to its old self. Wall Street optimists expected reports to be worse so they are buying back what they sold a month ago. They need to show positive activity.

Which annuity is best for you?
Sinking your money into an annuity at this time is not smart. Current interest rates determine your eventual monthly payout—either now or later. Insurers offering fixed annuities are buying very low rate bonds with your money. Insurers offering variable market rate annuities are trying to find a hedge on market volatility. They structure the annuity contract so they don’t lose money and set the fees to make money. You have better alternatives to locking in your contribution forever; buying future income that will be cut in HALF by inflation; paying income taxes instead of lower capital gains on your future income and paying more in costs than you gain in tax-deferral.

Advisors get paid less so changing your fee rates
Sixty-six percent of advisors said their compensation came from AUM-based (managed assets) fees. So even if you do not get any services from your advisor, they get paid less since the portfolio they “manage” is less now. Advisory firm are changing to “advice-based” fees to take more of your money. The owners need more revenue. This is justified by advisors promising to cover health care issues and family-legacy planning. Firms will “move from fixed compensation to variable compensation with profit-based bonuses, since that allows firms to easily trim compensation during a down market like this without having to reduce compensation directly or do layoffs,” one planner said. Advisors are not likely to raise security trading fees during this volatile market time, but fees will be imposed for any request that takes more effort, like review of a retirement plan. It may be time to switch to a fee-only planner so you can control your fees wisely.




**********ACCOUNTABILITY**************

Like 1776, this period is a test of democracy—do we really want ‘low-IQMobster?

If it takes a village, the village idiot is in charge: “metrics up here” (his head)





Mobster’s propagandist: “I will never lie to you



Private jet firm founded by Trump donor gets $27 million bailout: we pay for jets of rich!
Hate China? Remember we need China to buy our Treasuries: finance our biz bailouts


SCAMS/SPINS:
Trump kills health code: “Virus will take over 100,000.” Let’s go to work without tests!

Trump to change CDC method of counting C-19 dead so it is lower: election gimmick!
MI vigilantes use guns to open barber shop: MI Gov defied by GOP Trump violence.

IRS delays some payers’ payments: You get a break today
Debt collectors contacting us in pursuit of debts that don't exist. Get it in writing.

VW recall 370,000 vehicles with Takata inflators ‘in phases’ starting at the end of 2020.
Ambassador Advisors PA failed to disclose conflicts of interest in mutual fund sales

Trump hotels take $650 room/SS guards/family members/staff/VIPs from taxpayers

Jobs
Pence told to keep distance from WH staff: Trump still not careful around others
Employee options for pay cuts: Gov help and alternatives


Who owns your account now?
Time to refinance your vehicle at low rates?  as low as 2.14% APR for 36 months.
Mortgage/rent assistance and info: you may qualify for help

Delay mortgage payment options: Consider options carefully: long-term impact

Miracle:
If the victim had been white and the two stalkers with guns were black, same outcome?

Scientists construct a single-atom transistor: pack more circuits on tiny chip to fit vein?


IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ   07042
973.746.2014
Alerts 

Friday, August 23, 2019

Recession talk scare you?

Where to put your money if recession talk scares you?
There is talk of recession since people who claim they know economics get paid to scare us. Since no one knows for sure when and how this event will take place, we are on our own to decide what to do. Some are already running for their money market accounts even with low rates compared with inflation. Clearly stock and bond markets will be unsteady. Our choice, as always, will be decided based on our time horizon. Warren Buffett is looking for bargains at this point. He already had tons of cash. But he isn’t selling his portfolio as if the world will give up on capitalism. Long-term stocks will beat inflation. Our cash and bonds may help us avoid a big plunge in current account values. However, like Buffett, we should hold our long-term investments with a balanced approach. If we need cash in the next year we should have been accumulating it up to now. Many of our members have been buying the balanced fund Wellesley Income for years since it has maintained a return of over 9% since 1970 with low expenses.

Elder bankruptcy up
Bankruptcy has increased to 12% from 2% in 1991 for retired persons. Weakened trade unions, stagnated wages and the disappearance of pensions are among the factors that contributed to rising elderly bankruptcy. Many retirees also face rising medical costs as they live longer than expected and Medicare covers a smaller share of their health care needs. What can pre-retirees do? Contrary to what many people think, saving for retirement can help employees boost their ability to pay their student loans, according to a CNBC article. That’s because pretax contributions to traditional retirement plans can help minimize their adjusted gross income. Since the monthly student loan payments are based on AGI, a lower AGI could result in lower payments. “Any time you can put money into your qualified retirement plan at work, it’s always a good thing,” according to an adviser. The most important factor in avoiding a lack of cash later is using the miracle of compounding as early as possible. Compounding can double your money in 7-10 years. Thus doubling your 401k contributions to low-cost stock funds even at age 50 can improve your nest egg three fold. Warren Buffett says compounding made him wealthy.

Is your advisor helping you this year?
If you are paying your advisor for money management—1-2% of your TOTAL nest egg—you have a right to ask this question. What is their track record? The market has provided 9% for the last 10 years including -37% in 2008 (2008-2018). So far in 2019, you should have earned over 17% with 11% long term returns. If that ‘professional’ advice you are overpaying for has not been useful, perhaps it is time to switch to Warren Buffett’s strategy. When you need special advice you could pay for it at the CFP’s hourly rate like a lawyer. $750 for 3 hour review of your plan vs $7,500 over 10 years of fees. Otherwise, Buffett recommends low-cost index funds. Morningstar has found that the most important determinant of investment success is the cost.

DIY Financial Independence: Freedom Workbook
Put your money to work so you don’t have to.
Use your IRS-approved tax shelter—Pay 0% on asset gains.
Accumulate $250,000, $500,000 even $1,000,000 tax-FREE. You achieve Financial Independence by having enough money to do what you want. When you don't have to rely on work to survive, you are financially independent. Playing it safe won't achieve it. You don't have to be super wealthy to become free of money worries. Financially independent people have one thing in common: they put their money to work so they don't have to. If you don't put your money to work, you will never be free.   'Compound interest' is the name of the process by which money makes money. You don't need to do a thing besides sending $250 to work every month. You earn money every time you buy things. You own part of the businesses. Compounding is what Warren Buffett counts on for success.
“My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and
compound interest.
How much can your money earn for you? It depends on how long it works and where you put it to work. The best strategy is to use your Wealth Reserve to shield your money while it works in places you shop. You can use a special IRS-approved Tax-FREE account to avoid all tax on investment dividends, earnings and interest. You can also avoid the fees and commissions on this account. Your $250 a month investment may grow to $1,000,000 or more and it is all tax FREE. That $3,000 a year for 33 years ($99,000) compounds to $1 million if you put it to work: capitalism.

Women: Median Retirement Income Is 42% Lower Than For Men
An average working woman earns 21% less than an average working man. While a portion of this earnings gap is caused by different career and lifestyle choices between men and women, gender discrimination still sandbags women’s ability to earn an income and thrive during their working years. The gender earnings gap has implications for women as they age. For example, the average woman qualifies for Social Security benefits 23% lower than the average man. On average, women have life expectancies five years longer than men, requiring higher levels of retirement saving. The report’s authors also found that women face higher retirement health-care costs, needing an average of $140,000 by age 65 to have a 90% chance of covering their health care costs, versus $124,000 for men. Women have less income to accomplish higher retirement income needs than men. So women have a greater need to make their investment dollars grow faster than men. Warren Buffett recommends that we are more successful investors by being patient. Women are more successful investors because they are less likely to engage in rapid asset transactions. Buy and hold is often the best strategy.


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Families torn apart by Trump’s actions sue $ billions from US not Trump. harmed or fondled!
Trump’s 2017 tax break for family recalled in Trump tariffs: we pay $1,000/year in tariff
Trump considers payroll tax cut to boost failing economy: He also claims not failing!

Trump plans capital gains tax cut: why even bother with Congress taxing authority?
Pentagon cancels ‘missile killer’ project: saves US $1.2 Billion

SCAMS/SPINS:
Bundling your car and home insurance may not be as good for you as it is for insurer.
Trump calls El Paso mayor a RINO to his face: Weak dictators insult grieving to face.
NRA tells Trump to forget background checks: blame mental ill as diversion for votes.

Scam to steal your Medicare ID promise screening for cancer: suffer emotional abuse
Trump rallies are full: participants receive overtime pay from employers.

Trump considers cuts to Medicare to trim deficit: Wealthy tax cuts created $1 Trillion



IRS does not send emails: do not open email from them

Jobs
The war for talent in the independent broker-dealer industry is real: Best get more fees.
CEO pay grown 940% since 1978, while workers’ pay only 12%. CEO’s power not skills
Execs get the raises this year: workers get discretionary bonus for top performers


Who owns your account now?
Low cost places to live when you must start a new life on limited budget.
Vaping may cost you a lung: heavy breathing can give high too.


Miracle:
Your lucky day: woman survives chute failure 5,000 foot fall—hit trees at 120 MPH

Miracle if Congress bans AR magazines: NOT for hunting; just killing: 41 in 32 seconds

Catholic teaching: the priest’s “racist” dog got black cleaning lady fired. He blames dog?

Trump retweet: Israelis “love him [Trump] like he is the second coming of God.”

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ   07042
973.746.2014
Alerts

Friday, May 20, 2016

Don's new tariffs cost us $6,000

Don’s new tariffs could cost each of us $6,000 a year
An independent analysis of Trump’s tariff proposal finds that it could cost the average U.S. household more than $6,000 per year, with much of the burden falling on households with the lowest incomes. “We find that a Trump tariff proposal against all countries would cost U.S. consumers $459 billion annually and $2.29 trillion over five years,” David Tuerck and Paul Bachman, a pair of economists at Suffolk University in Boston, write for the nonpartisan National Foundation for American Policy.
There are many ways for Trump to ‘tax’ the middle class. Tariff’s increase the price of everything working people (not wealthy) buy.


Which investment strategy provides the best retirement outcome?
“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.” Warren Buffett Mr Buffett's strategy of patience has proven to be the most astounding in history. He has earned 20.8% a year compounded over 50 years including recessions and wars. He does NOT trade or speculate. He holds companies for a long time. Buffett has proved the market is NOT efficient and stock-picking can work for a few.
Buffett is the genius who found a way to beat the market. The average investor earned just 3.79% while the stock market earned 11.06% over the last 30 years. DALBAR QAIB. You can become wealthy by choosing the best investment strategy in the 21st century: The Hub and Spoke Strategy. Use the best of both worlds: market index and Buffett's stock. There are almost as many “investing” strategies as people who work on Wall Street. There are institutional and retail investors who put up the money and take all the risks. And there are salespeople who take profits unfairly from the investors.
You have your choice but there are three considerations first: trust yourself or others, your futures will change, wealth-building takes time.

No retirement fund? $9 is all it takes
Almost 20% of Americans 65 and older are now working, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the most older people with a job since the early 1960s, before the U.S. enacted Medicare. This may explain why younger people have trouble finding work and why wages remain flat despite productivity increases. More employers are offering tax-FREE Roth 401ks yet only 10% participate in these retirement funds. As the overall economy improves, the growth of productivity is going to existing asset holders, not to those producing it. Since 1995, the average year-over-year inflation rate for energy has been 3.9%, for food, 2.6%; for shelter, 2.7%; and for medical care, 3.6%. Middle class expense increases leave no room for building assets.
Build your own tax-FREE pension fund of $250,000: http://www.amazon.com/$9-Day-Millionaire-Turn-day-into/dp/1484890310

GOP budget-cutters go after the poor again—GOP ‘heroes’ target defenseless
It is an easy group to target with no lobby and no defenders. GOP will cut food stamps again instead of supporting a wage hike that might reduce the need for this subsidy. GOP did not go after oil and gas socialists on subsidies, not the socialist supports that guarantee income to corporate farmers, not the socialist price guarantees to sugar and cotton and peanuts and soy and corn and etc. They did not cut the defense programs the pentagon says they don’t want or need. No, they cut food stamps. No wage offset, no retraining. Former manufacturing workers now on food stamps. Part time hiring up.
Always hit the people who don’t have lobbyists or big election gifts.

Making the world safe from BANKING
Congress and Obama have stopped fighting Wall Street during this contribution period called the 2016 elections. However, the problem of leveraged gambling without consequences still hangs over this planet. Closer than global warming as a threat, leaders of the world’s financial system have not taken the necessary steps to keep the world safe from BANKING, according to Mervyn King, former head of the Bank of England. “The financial system, King reveals, is still wired so that a handful of well-connected people capture the benefits from risk-taking while the entire society bears the cost.” Bankers and regulators use ‘complexity’ to defeat serious change. King’s solution: let investors who give the banks money to gamble take the hit when they lose. Keep deposits separate!


What does the NEW Republican Party stand for as of May 2016?
Limit rights of immigrants, non-Christians, Muslims, gays, Asians, protesters, press
House GOP votes to let contractors discriminate against certain people GOP dislikes
Tax breaks for wealthy; cut funding for un-wealthy, poor, seniors, underemployed, etc.
One-time 14% tax on wealthy to pay down national debt.
“I would build consensus, not use Executive Orders.”
“I'm not accepting any money from anybody, not beholden.” until now--Trump Fund
Increase debt and devalue debt and limit defense spending.
Cut regulation of all business activity except when GOP controls women clinics
Regulate all District Columbia activity/spending—end local control of DC budget
AL GOP reversed local control of Birmingham city paychecks
MI GOP reversed local control of Flint water against local experts
LA GOP reversed local control: wants strippers to be over 21 but under 28 and 160 lb.
Climate change is a hoax.
Trade pacts are no good for us and no good for our workers.
Abolish IRS, EPA, Education, Dodd-Frank financial protections
National right to buy and carry any firearms anywhere anytime by anyone age 2 and up.
Reinstate Christmas and Christian observance in schools, home, court, etc
Reinstate Christianity as the state religionbar all others from public office
Replace Obamacare with Health Savings Accounts (tax deduction not coverage).
Resist approving judges for courts (fewest in 50 years) so Dems not make policy
Install state Gov that cuts Medicaid, education, federal support payments, infrastructure.
Trump policy now and then: Unintended consequences is real threat!


Is an immediate annuity right for you?
When your advisor proposes buying an annuity to guarantee income for you in retirement, they may not mention certain facts that you should know. First, an annuity purchase is final – few can be reversed. Second, you will be receiving regular income from your IRA, pension, etc at age 70.5 due to the IRS mandate. Third, many annuities have higher fees and charges than similar income producing alternatives. Fourth, an immediate annuity starts paying you monthly income in return for your cash but is based on current low interest rates. When they go up, you are stuck with lower income.

Do you need a will like Prince forgot?
He did not leave one in plain sight so his “relatives” will spend $ millions for lawyers and courts to get some cash or what they “deserve.” Well if you have that problem, get thee to a lawyery. Or make your own for $55 at Nolo or as little as $35. If you only have a house, car, bank accounts etc in joint name you may not need one. Your IRAs and pensions have bene clauses so they don’t go to probate. Simple asset estates don’t need lawyers—you may pay your state tax yourself. Fed death tax begins at $5.45 million. I read library books to do mine. Avoiding probate doesn’t help with some states: everything is taxed—even retirement funds—unless it all goes to spouse.


Does our President need to be smart and truthful? Do they even care about truth?

Don:    In Trump We Trust: The New American Revolution,” due Aug 23. ‘God’ is gone!
            There will be another 9/11 if we don’t stop Syrians with ISIS phones now!
            Don will cut Medicare and SS benefits “if tax cuts don’t make big surpluses”
            Carson says Christie, Cruz, Kasich, Rubio and Palin for VP. Newt?
            “I will never hire a pollster” pollster hired this week but not admitted
            Talking to Kissinger, 92, 30-year-old-China-policy expert?
            In order to get donor money, I will not take $36 mil to pay myself back.
            I would like to see a White-versus-Black season of “The Apprentice." 

AKA John Miller: It wasn’t me who faked me--Only a narcissist would do that!       Anyway, I am only doing what the Founding Fathers did! Really?

Paul Ryan: “I’ll have my people call your people,” Don can pretend to change Congress.
            My cuts in food stamps make me a hero since poor have no lobbyist to offend
            Paying workers for overtime is “absolute disaster:” we pay too much already!

Hill: We all would like to pay 10% taxes like Don: show us how you do it!
            His Ossining golf course pays tax on $1.4 mil but he claims worth $50 mil.
            His yacht had no NJ sales tax and his Grand Central Hyatt had no profits?

Bern: Why do you pay 33% in taxes and Donny pays HALF or less.
            Here we go again—invading Lybia in name of ‘training’



Regulators are the only protection we have since we can’t sue anymore
            “It is nearly impossible for one individual to take on a corporation with vast resources.” (GOP bill requires impossible: every person in class action suffer “same type and scope of injury”)
               Supremes stop us from suing—State courts no longer available to sue corporations!

.Raymond James caught not watching for money laundering by clients
. Louis Martin Blazer III, Blazer Capital, used $2.35 mil from athletes by misleading
.MO lets anyone pack w/o permit/training and kill by claiming “threatened.”
. Francis J. Bass, Phila, caught tax fraud on medical settlements fraud

We need regulation—GOP wrong—companies/cities wouldn’t fix bad products on own


New rule lets business expense any item up to $2,500 – cuts taxes
Effective for 2016 and later, IRS upped the $500 de minimus threshold to $2,500. For small business, writing everything off which costs less than $2,500 is now great way to reduce profits. That’s right, $2,500 a pop. For example, for a food vendor, almost everything they buy, except the truck they use, will cost less than $2,500 so they write them off and pay less tax.

How our government wastes our money
.We pay extra $85 to avoid 3 hour lines at airport. Isn’t that what terrorist would do?
.We pay NFL teams when they honor servicepeople—and you thought they cared!

SCAMS
.MS schools ordered to desegregate after 62 years – unequal education benefits

Who owns your account now?
Time Warner Cable to Charter Communications

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ 07042
973.746.2014
Alerts 

Friday, April 10, 2015

Will you inherit $11 million Tax-FREE?

Will you inherit over an $11 million estate Tax-FREE?
Are you one of the lucky families that will inherit over $11 million estate tax-FREE?
Our Congress just voted to give a BIG tax break to the 5,000 wealthiest families. Repeal of the estate tax would mean that the wealthy with over $11 million can create a family dynasty. None of these wealthy people works on a farm or would lose their farm if Obama vetoes the bill. We would lose $300 Billion in taxes and we must make up. The 5,000 would still have $ millions after state inheritance tax in some states.

You can create a legacy for your family that is NEVER taxed
Your heirs have the option to keep building your legacy for another generation. They can either roll your Roth IRA into their own Roth IRA or cash out the account without penalty regardless of their age. Your beneficiary can transfer your non-taxable Roth IRA into their own account, if they do not need the money for retirement. They can then designate the account for their beneficiary. This can be repeated for each generation. If any heir doesn’t do the transfer, your account needs to be distributed within five years of the death or paid out in equal amounts over their lifetime. 

Wealthy avoid taxes by NOT working
If you work, you pay taxes before you can buy food, housing or anything else. Not so with the wealthy. Look back to the 2011 Romney tax return shared by the candidate. Romney reported NO earned income. He actually paid more tax than required so that he could claim he was not one of the “47% of Americans who pay no income taxes. He called us “victims” who feel entitled to government handouts.” But we pay 33% on average—more than double his 14% rate.
Congress has reversed the American progressive tax system. The wealthy pay a smaller percentage of their income than we do—14% vs 32%.
Americans   

Is an HSA right for you?
A Health Savings Account is tax-FREE money when it is combined with a high-deductible health plan. The IRS defines HDHP as an annual deductible of at least $1,250 per person or $2,500 family. Your HSA is deductible even if you don't itemize deductions. The HSA is great if you don’t have high health costs but a large deductible can prevent you from getting the care you need. You can write off $3,350 ($6,650 family) in HSA contributions on your federal income tax for 2015, plus a $1,000 catch-up if you're 55 or over. HSA balances roll over year to year so you could earn interest. Unlike an HSA, you must use an FSA by yearend or lose it.

Is Free File tax prep right for you?
The number of taxpayers filing self-prepared returns increased nearly 6 percent by the end of February according to the IRS. It has authorized a number of online software firms to provide FREE tax prep help at http://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free. The cost of commercial tax prep has increased with new ACA forms added this year so you can save up to $500. And there are still organizations that can help seniors and non-computer users. AARP offers in-person FREE file: http://www.aarp.org/applications/VMISLocator/taxAideLocations.action

Will the IRS keep your refund?
You may find a hole in your bank account if you were spending your tax refund before it came. The IRS can take it for several “worthy” causes: Delinquent student loans, ObamaCare penalty and/or subsidy, past-due state income tax, past-due child support, etc. The Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service, which actually issues refund checks, will inform you by letter of the dirty details. If they made a mistake, dispute it. Hey, you never know.

You can turn your IRA required distribution into TAX-FREE money
Many people work after age 67—the SS retirement age—and by age 71 are receiving mandatory distributions from their IRAs, 401k, 403b rollovers, and other pensions. These retirement funds were never taxed so Uncle Sam wants to be paid. You can pay it and then never pay tax on the earnings again. If you don’t need the money right now. You can send your RMD, as it is called, to your low-cost mutual fund inside a Roth IRA. When you need the money later, it and its earnings will be TAX-FREE. This will lower the income taxes on your other taxable accounts and Social Security benefits. You pay less tax overall with Tax-FREE income.


GOP crazies
America’s future looks grim using the just-passed GOP budget blueprint:
Military spending increase to $612 billion so we can prop up 3 Middle East countries; and Japan, Germany and S. Korea don’t have to pay for their own defense departments.
CUT $431 billion from Medicare. Convert seniors to voucher-like program.
CUT $236 billion from the budgets of non-defense agencies—fewer people services.
CUT $1 trillion from food stamps and welfare and repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
CUT Medicaid $913 billion. Convert to state block grants to shift cost to states.
37 million people would lose health insurance, doubling the ranks of the uninsured.
Obama says “failure to invest in education, infrastructure, research and national defense.”
McCain says “not legitimate budgeting.”
Ken Buck, (R) CO says “It’s all hooey.”
 “I don’t know anyone who believes we’re going to balance the budget in 10 years.”

GOP President-to-be claims he is Hispanic to gain votes or impress Miamians?
Jeb Bush admitted Monday that he made a “mistake” in 2009 when he listed his ethnicity in a Miami-Dade County voter-registration form as “Hispanic.” The likely 2016 Republican presidential contender is, obviously, not Hispanic. How can you make a “mistake” since we answer “race/ethnicity” all the time? He did on March 6, 2009. Does Bush senior know Mrs Bush had a Hispanic son?
Can we see Jeb’s birth certificate? Is this another “oops, I forgot” GOP moment? Did he serve in the “National Guard” like W claims?

NJ Gov gives Exxon a break
Master ‘negotiator’ Chris Christie accepts only $225 M instead of $9 Billion and then uses the money to fill his budget gap and still can’t pay promised pension bill. Is this how the GOP will run the government? He is losing his shouting match in the polls.

74% of us have never calculated our monthly retirement needs
Also, 51 percent of retirees have never tried to determine if their current savings will be enough to last through retirement – though 39 percent assume what they have will not last 20 years – grim statistics indeed.

Do you know what you pay your broker/advisor?
A significant number of investors are in the dark about the fees they pay brokers, according to a new survey by a state regulator association. While most brokers/advisors charge annual fees to manage accounts, one-third of customers aren’t aware of the expenses, according to the survey by NASAA. The industry makes it hard to find the costs because they take as much as 63% of our retirement money in fees.

Long-term care insurance at risk
Genworth is weighing a breakup after steep losses on policies covering long- term medical care. GE is dumping its financial units so policy owners must contend with rising premiums and underwriting standards. Current owners may have some protection from state insurance funds. Future owners may be better off using alternatives.

Students lose coverage while in school
Some universities that provide health insurance to their students are stopping the practice, as they say the Affordable Care Act’s minimal essential health benefits requirements have led to unsustainable cost increases. Those that remain are turning to their brokers to determine the best way to continue offering coverage to their students.

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 to defend themselves.
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. The troops we trained ran away. We are wasting $4 billion a year on Afgan tribal rivalries; paying ransom to Al Qaeda; supporting corruption with our money.

LPL Accused Of Improper REIT Sales By NH Regulators
LPL settled a similar case with the FIRA paying $950,000 for supervisory lapses in the sale of direct investments. In December 2012, LPL paid $2.6 million to settle a Massachusetts case involving improper sale of nontraded REITs. Last year, LPL’s top executives saw their bonuses drop, due in part to the adverse impact of regulatory charges. No one was fired or jailed. Will they do it again?

Wall St Banks need bailout by US for bets on oil prices
The same ‘players’ insured the oil drillers that prices would not fall. Now they must pay $26 billion. When they claim they nave no money, we will pay because Congress lets banks gamble with our money.

IAN
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