Showing posts with label credit card debt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label credit card debt. Show all posts

Friday, May 19, 2023

Free financial planning services

 

Graduation gift that lasts a lifetime

Show your teen the easy way to compound their money to a $million tax-FREE fund. 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 about $150,000 instead of a Wealth Reserve of $877,233 about 33 years later. I have used this 'Wealth Reserve' as I call it to have funds to buy low-cost insurance, to help buy two homes and 5 cars with higher down payments or cash, and now to receive $2,900 a month in retirement supplement. Now your child can build an account that provides tax-FREE education and retirement income too. The stock market provides about 11% a year over time: double your money every 7-9 years. Only the buy and hold strategy works; market timing pays the advisor/broker’s fees.

Time is on their side: https://www.amazon.com/Give-your-child-leg-up-manage/dp/1096505355

 

Easiest way to clear excessive credit card debt

I was able to eliminate some cc debt by cutting out spending on things I no longer needed. This means I was able to do get rid of the debt faster and without giving up anything I enjoy. I shop for car insurance every two years because there are insurers that change marketing strategies that benefit me. I saved about $600 on two cars last time. I got rid of my overpriced financial advisor and saved $1,000 in the first year. Salaried advisors are available at some large mutual fund firms like Vanguard. No cost for advice since I have my retirement portfolio there. When I need other advice, I ask my financial planner who charges by the hour not 1-2% of my whole portfolio annually. She always answers by phone call in an hour. Recently one of my friends told me his inherited portfolio still has his parents’ broker taking his money even though the broker has done nothing for him for the last 5 years. He doesn’t know how to “cut the cord” even when I explained he is being robbed and he can move it with one call.

Pay off debt: https://www.amazon.com/Tricks-Trade-Save-Mutual-Insurance-Annuities/dp/1535497289/

 

How to build a retirement fund you can live on

Many working folks have an easy way to build a retirement fund. And some employers will actually help them pay for it. A low-cost 401k or 403b can create a decent fund over time. Even when they have to change jobs, their money can easily be transferred and continued to build big. The secret to doing this is consistent contributions from their pay and using a low-cost stock index option. They can earn over 10% a year. Compounding (no borrowing or surrenders) their money over their working lives can produce a $million fund. That happens by them contributing only $105,000 over 35 years to a low-cost (<0.5% annual fee) index fund that matches the S&P 500 index. According to Warren Buffett, compounding helps explains his investing success.

Buffett explains: https://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffetts-Vanguard-Funds-Retirement/dp/1496148592

How to live on retirement income

Most people are trying to grow their retirement nest egg to an amount that can sustain them with income through 20-30 years of the rest of their lives. But how to do that: Many retirees call on their advisor or broker to make the changes from portfolio growth to portfolio income. Clearly, to take on this process by themselves is daunting. However, it is not as difficult as it seems. It requires transferring growth assets to income assets. The easiest way to do this is to slowly sell growth funds and buy income funds. A simple example is to exchange the low-cost stock market index fund for a low-cost (0.16%) balanced fund. These funds can provide about 4% annual yield with about 60% bonds. Yield is earnings generated on an investment over a particular period of time. Yield includes the interest earned or dividends received from holding securities. Of course the yield may plummet if an advisor buys and sells individual securities to produce income. Also individual stock dividends and bond yields can rise and fall over time so an advisor may produce taxes on the gains as the portfolio is traded. There is a tax-FREE version of this strategy that may provide higher income without taxes for some folks who plan ahead.

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

 

Free financial planning services

Since there are several ways to buy financial advice—paying 1% of total portfolio whether it help you or not, commissions on products you may not need, and strait hourly fees like a lawyer—you need to know about the firms that offer help for FREE. Yes, FREE but you must have enough assets to make it worth their while. So for those who have already gotten to the $250K level, this can help you keep more. Check Schwab, Vanguard or Fidelity Investments for the terms of FREE advice from a properly credentialed person. Some Robo-advisors offer one-on-one coaching calls. Some firms provide unlimited phone access to a CFP. The account minimum is $100,000.  Your target-date fund will get you ready for retirement income by lowering your risk of losing money but usually does not offer transfer to an fund the provides income directly. You will need to make the transfer to start the flow of income directly to your bank account. Most firms can do this. They also take care of IRS reporting of IRA/pension mandatory RMD distributions.

https://www.amazon.com/What-your-RMD-much-spend/dp/1718946716

 

How to beat inflation’s devastation effect on your retirement fund

Even in a recession-talk period of the market, you can still keep current with your goal of growing your wealth. Unless you have retreated from the market to fixed assets, your stock index fund is back to 9.78% YTD. Even if it falls back by year end, you may have beat inflation. Since you have no guarantee that fixed rate products will keep your fund growing, at least the majority of your portfolio should be in the market. Stocks can go up too. Most studies show that you are always better off staying in the market than trying to time the market. Are you really smarter than everyone else by moving your money at the right time? No. History shows your advisor does NOT know any more than you. In fact most analyst agree that paying someone to guess the future will cost you up to 63% of what you would have had if you had just left your portfolio alone. Fidelity found that the accounts that did the best were held by the dead or by folks who forgot they had their account.

Keep the money you give your advisor: https://www.amazon.com/Snoring-Best-Way-Create-Wealth/dp/1466408928

 

 

 

 

?**********ACCOUNTABILITY**************?

 

 

Like 1776, this period is a test of democracyWe rejected an "American fascist" once

 

 

The Path to Dictatorship: 2010-2030

 

Parallels of this era in the past may hint at our future: democracy breaks apart legally

 

 

Jan 21 2010 Corpor­a­tions’ election-spending unlim­ited

Billionaires paid $881 million for votes in 2022 midterm elections

 

Nov 2020 Wealthy discredit election process

 

Nov 21 2020 Trump’s Plans for a Coup: criminal

 

Nov 21 2020: Trump plan: US Marshals seize voting machines

 

Jan 6 2021 Direct assault failed: guns & bombs ready

 

Trump engaged in a "criminal conspiracy" to stop Biden

 

I don’t f—ing care that they have weapons

 

Trump was “detached from reality”

 

Trump used mafia-style intimidation on the defenseless

 

Trump still terrorizing election woman

 

Parscale: “a sitting president asking for civil war.”

 

Trump: “Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me” 

 

GOP fascism: “RINO hunt armed; no bagging limitJ6 comm threat

 

January 6, 2021A date which will live in infamy

 

Trump’s Supremes END personal rights & state laws except for weapons WMDs

 

Fascism: GOP to stop women leaving state for abortion

 

It’s not a court. It’s a junta: Two Americas

 

Trump: President Biden is 'enemy of the state'

 

Christian Nationalist Party (CNP) replaces GOP

 

Nov 8 2022 Trump’s “national revolution” failed

 

Nov 15 2022 Trump announces for 2024 to avoid lawsuits

 

Dec 3 2022 Trump: cancel Constitution rules so ‘I win

 

Mar 11 2023 Pence straddles his place in history

 

Mar 31 2023 Trump indicted misusing election money

 

Apr 7 2023 One GOP guy decided which drugs we all can use

 

Apr 9 Illustrated Anne Frank book removed by Florida school

 

Apr 21 Trump: “I am your justice

 

 

 

Jan 2025 Dictator pardons himself: his Supremes agree

 

 

How Govt wastes our money:

Party games will cost us jobs, income, time, earnings, Social Security, Vets benefits

IRS audits Black taxpayers at higher rates: ignores rich white folks—“too complicated

TX strips authority of cities to govern: we lose another freedom to decide: fascism

 

Top execs hold $Billions tax-FREE retirement’s vs ½ workers hold NONE in 401k

 

SCAMS/SPINS:

Phillip Galles IL stealing $2 million from clients he promised big gains from commodity futures

SW Financial Thomas Diamante caught: bad info on sale of private placement offerings IPOs 

Douglas Hawkins, CFP, minister, KY caught fraud $2 million real estate scheme: 10 yrs

Victim of fraud?  AARPFraudWatchHelpline@aarp.org  877.908.3360

 

How can the ‘God of Love’ actually hate, despise, or keep medical help from transgender folks?

TX doctors stop treatment as state investigates hospital’s gender-affirming care: transgender ‘fad

 

GOP free capitalism reshaped by fascist ideology: invest, social, religion, read, vote, discuss, sex,

GOP undermines direct democracy by restricting ballot initiatives, constitutional amendments.

What do Christian Nationalists believe: loose political groups that my help GOP win

 

GOP put police at risk with fewer restrictions on gun ownership: ignore gun safety:

GOP laws are killing off our next generation: guns are the kids #1 killer

AZ person kills 2, injures 5 teens at teen party: suspect at large

NM shooter kills 3, multiple wounded, 2 police hit in park

TX 12 year-old boy uses AR-15 to kill 1, injure 1,

 

DeSantis jobs: Disney canceled a new, nearly $1 billion 2000 employee campus in Orlando

FL college students arranging own graduation: reject official Board speaker-a Trumper

Penguin Random House sue Florida school district over book bans: Censorship, 1 Amd right

 

 

Gerber powdered baby formula was distributed to some US retailers after the initial recall notice

Right-Wing Doctors Are Still Peddling Dubious COVID Drugs

Liberty HealthShare Christian nonprofit to avoid Obamacare paid vendors owned by Beers family

Denials of health-insurance claims are rising — and getting weirder: computer rapid-fire denials

 

 

Don’t waste your money: 17 Home Upgrades That Rarely Help Close a Sale

Stellantis Chrysler recalls 220,000 Jeep SUVs over fire risks power liftgate: park outside

Faulty TN air bag inflators in use, including Volkswagen, Ford, BMW and GM

Ford recalls 310,000 trucks to fix problem with driver’s front air bag: not working

Ford recalls 422,000 SUVs because rear view camera display may fail

 

OpenAI chief: artificial intelligence could “cause significant harm to the world”

 

Jobs

24 Employers That Offer Jobs That Pay for College

Top-tier college does not guarantee career success

College degree requirements close off opportunities for majority of minorities

 

Who owns your account now?

Heavy Cannabis Use Linked to Schizophrenia

We are keeping our vehicles for a record 12.5 years on average: smart shoppers’ values

“Professors can’t know whether students using ChatGPT in nuanced ways or cheating

 

Stock market still provides over 8% this year: beats inflation, savings, CDs, bond funds

Home battery: fire-safe, lifespan 30 years, and built into crawl spaces and attics: testing

 

Miracles:

Cook County is eliminating medical debt for 73,000 people: $80 million in medical debt

Study: folks who used a low-fat diet with healthy foods had a lower chance of dying.

Just feeling hungry could promote healthy aging: in flies at least for now.

 

Blood test can predict psychotic disorders years before they develop

A “breathalyzer” could detect pancreatic cancer before you were even symptomatic.

 

More than half of the world’s lakes have shrunk in past 30 years: water shortage?

Scientists find bacteria and fungi capable of breaking down plastics

 

 

FL Thirteen-year-old girl punches shark to escape attack

13-year-old boy saved his sister from kidnapper by shooting the attacker with a slingshot!

 

Religious folks changed practices because they stopped believing in former teachings

 

 

 

 

@

 

Our Universe is Mind-Blowing

Light is both a particle and a wave depending on how we look at the light.

I don’t think that there is any such thing as a position or a velocity of a particle.

Everything (galaxies to stones) in universe made of subatomic energy ‘vibrations’

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

Energy into matter: scientists converted light energy directly into matter in one step

In place of atomic lattice, light waves used to create an optical lattice with same geometry

Physics Nobel Prize: “entanglement” 2 particles share info instantly at a distance

Quantum mechanics violates local realism: two objects behave as single system at distance

 

“It may be that gravity and quantum mechanics are exactly the same thing,” Leonard Susskind

Gravity might induce the collapse of quantum vibrations into 1 quantum state—our world

Strange state of physics that allows energy to flow frictionlessly through a material

Bending light from extreme gravity reveals largest black hole so far

 

There is no TIME at this level because of force fields come and go in all directions. 

Universe expanding: events may not come together like they did before: created our time.

Inside protons, neutrons, it is the fields of the virtual particles that creates its mass.

Gold made from neutron stars: collisions produce more neutrons:79 protons,118 neutrons

The proton is so complicated science still finds new energy entities/forces every year.

 

“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.

The electricity we use comes from the field around the wire not from electron itself.

Scientists build 'baby' wormhole as sci-fi moves closer to fact: inside quantum computer

starts-with-a-bang/universe-expansion-not-accelerating/

 

 

 

@

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

http://www.theinsidersguides.com/

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

 

Friday, October 21, 2022

Can a couple create an equally-pleasing retirement?

 

Can a couple create an equally-pleasing retirement?

Whatever you are dreaming about for your retirement needs to be discussed with your spouse. Let’s assume you have plans; so your spouse must have plans too. Do you discuss the plans? Do you plan when best to retire? If one of you wants to continue working, this may give you both experiences about your time in retirement. Perhaps waiting to collect SS benefits will up your income by 75% over early retirement benefits. If both of you start SS benefits at the same time, your income tax may increase since benefits are taxed as your income increases. Two income households can save more IF there is mutual planning. Divorce can destroy both of your futures. Spousal IRA doubles tax-advantaged savings. Written plans make them real.

Discussion is necessary: https://www.amazon.com/Maximize-Social-Security-Benefits-Retirement/dp/1495439224

 

Pay yourself or pay credit card industry?

Credit card debt is rising at its fastest clip in more than 20 years, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Overall, we owe $887 billion on credit cards, a 13% increase from a year ago. With inflation pushing rent costs and food prices higher, will we be able to save for the future or be stuck feeding the financial industry? My credit cards charge 27.24% if I don’t pay the balance monthly so I go back to buying the house brand and using coupons. I can’t afford the pay mob loan rates and still keep investing in my tax-FREE account. I want to make sure I don’t carry a balance since at 27.24% it would take me years to pay off $20,000. We had an emergency surgery charge of $20,750 this month (after insurance!). You must pay doctor and hospital in advance now. We found a new credit card that gives us 0% interest for 21 months on purchases. Some cards charge 5% on balance transfers so those aren’t good for us. Luckily we have a good rating so we qualify to put our surgery charges on a couple of these 0% interest cards. We have 21 months to pay the balance so we can continue to buy stock shares in our tax-FREE account.

Avoid interest and taxes on future income: https://www.amazon.com/New-American-Retirement-System-ReserveTM/dp/1461030072/

 

What kind of advisor works best for you?

Advisors cost money—a lot of money. If you have $500,000, you may be paying $10,000 a year for that quarterly review or quick telephone message. Over a lifetime or long periods of engagement you may be giving up 63% of your potential total nest egg. Fees are guaranteed to the advisor no matter what they do for you. If you need help in making a plan for investing or retirement or whatever, a better deal is to find a professional planner fiduciary that charges one fixed fee. Like a lawyer, this fee usually covers an analysis and a couple of meetings to answer your questions. The analysis can be extensive. Ours was over 50 pages and showed us how our retirement income could last for over 30 years. The fee was $750—reasonable considering no advisor in our area would accept us since we did not have over $1,000,000 for them to “manage.” Most of our money is in stock qualified IRA funds which we don’t want to manipulate or buy products. We were happy with our 9% annual earning.

Look before you sign an advisor: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Robo-Advisor-Ultimate-Automatic-Management/dp/1537111957

 

As repair costs soar, reliability becomes more important.

Here are the 2022 Consumer Reports Auto Reliability Report rankings of major automotive brands:

1. Lexus

2. Mazda

3. Toyota

4. Infiniti

5. Buick

6. Honda

7. Subaru

8. Acura

9. Nissan

10. Mini

11. Hyundai

12. Chrysler

13. Porsche

14. Chevrolet

15. Audi

16. Cadillac

17. BMW

18. Ford

19. Kia

20. Volvo

21. Ram

22. GMC

23. Mercedes-Benz

24. Volkswagen (31)

25. Genesis (30)

26. Jeep (26)

27. Tesla (25)

28. Lincoln (18)

Cancel coverage you don’t need: https://www.amazon.com/Vehicle-Insurance-Beware-Double-Coverage/dp/1480027634

 

 

 

?**********ACCOUNTABILITY**************?

 

 

Like 1776, this period is a test of democracyWe rejected an "American fascist" once

 

 

The Path to Dictatorship: 2010-2030

 

Parallels of this era in the past may hint at our future: democracy breaks apart legally

 

 

Jan 21 2010 Corpor­a­tions’ election-spending unlim­ited

 

Nov 2020 Wealthy discredit election process

 

Nov 21 2020 Trump’s Plans for a Coup: criminal

 

Nov 21 2020: Trump plan: US Marshals seize voting machines

 

Jan 6 2021 Direct assault failed: guns & bombs ready

 

Trump engaged in a "criminal conspiracy" to stop Biden

 

I don’t f—ing care that they have weapons

 

Trump was “detached from reality”

 

Trump used mafia-style intimidation on the defenseless

 

Parscale: “a sitting president asking for civil war.”

 

Trump: “Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me” 

 

GOP fascism: “RINO hunt armed; no bagging limitJ6 comm threat

 

Trump’s Supremes END personal rights & state laws except for weapons WMDs

 

Fascism: GOP to stop women leaving state for abortion

 

It’s not a court. It’s a junta: Two Americas

 

Trump: President Biden is 'enemy of the state'

 

Christian Nationalist Party (CNP) replaces GOP

 

 

Nov 8 2022 Trump’s “national revolution

 

Jan 2025 Dictator pardons himself: his Supremes Agree

 

 

How Govt wastes our money:

Wealthy avoid paying taxes so they can buy our elections: $20 million buys a lot of juice

There's No Recession In Luxury With Dior, Mercedes Sales Booming

We paid for tech sold to China that helped their advance hypersonic missile program

We give our money to Intel, etc for chip making and they lay off workers: profits balloon

 

Jan 6 Findings are history: do we prefer our version of reality: 2 versions of ‘democracy’

US sliding into authoritarian government LEGALLY just like other former democracies

Will Steve Bannon ever serve a day in jail for giving the House Committee the ‘finger?

 

9 million people and families failed to claim their IRS tax credit payments

GOP House leaders threaten cuts in SS and Medicare: But we paid in already

Supremes have another chance to undermine elections: states not voters can decide prez

 

SCAMS/SPINS:

Thousands lost hundreds of millions in crypto when scamgangs hit Coinbase acconts

Mortgage: mistakenly wire down payment to a hacker.

You may never know why you were denied that apartment: tenant screening scams

Only HALF of us are confident in fair vote counting: Trumpists think OK if win

Gen Flynn now new Billy Graham: Holy War (jihad) Politics is American’s religion

 

Catholic elites caught ignoring abuse of innocents: cardinal and bishop abuse kids

Giving a 15 year old access to a shotgun: what kind of urban society does that?

 

Genworth Life caught unfairly raising rates for 13,400 policyholders

Keith Springer caught using “deceptive marketing” push annuities high fees: defrocked

Stephen Romney Swensen, estate of, caught Ponzi after death: promised 5% guaranteed

 

American Airlines caught taking bogus bag fees: pay back $7.5M lied re credit card perk

ACTIVE Network caught tricking people into enrolling into subscription discount club

Cetera caught misleading clients share class selection/revenue sharing infractions fine

 

Credit Bureaus caught putting/keeping crap data in our credit reports: junk data abounds

 

BEWARE: Cash App Scams: learn the tricks and techniques scammers are using

7 cereals called ‘unhealthy’ by gov: too much sugar and salt

 

Social Security COLA increase may put us in next tax bracket: benefits taxable?

Teachers with emergency certifications, low-income Black neighborhoods get less again.

Twitter: like China's WeChat, a "super app" does video chats, messaging, streaming, payments 

 

Recall baby formula by Abbott who Improperly Sealed Bottles of Similac: profits soar!

 

Putin takes Ukraine kids to make them Russian just like Trump separated kids for US.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns: her last appearance

 

 

Jobs

Good financial jobs expanding

Our vets, generals and admirals work for foreign powers after we pay to train

Remote jobs will get harder to find

 

Who owns your account now?

Can You Back out of a Real Estate Contract? Maybe—each state is different

Medicare options open for 2023: https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare/

New Abortion Underground

Texas woman nearly died: infection allowed doctors could not perform legal abortion

 

Use your home’s equity wisely: big asset you can use before you sell out

Vanguard had rare month of outflows: most fund owners in for long-term

 

Miracles:

Syria ‘rare’ preserved Roman mosaic in former rebel stronghold

On-site renewable energy: a revolutionary bladeless wind energy: quiet no solar panels

Now we can buy hearing aids over the counter: do your research for $200 value

Cancer vaccines could be ready by 2030: uses mRNA nucleic acid to target intruder

 

Two bizarre blue blobs of light glimmering in our planet's atmosphere: UFO?

 

Scotland tries different way to reform women in prison

Student loan forgiveness: https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application

2023 tax rates offer break for middle income payers: wealthy already have breaks

 

 

 

 

Our Universe is Mind-Blowing

Light is both a particle and a wave depending on how we look at the light.

I don’t think that there is any such thing as a position or a velocity of a particle.

Everything (galaxies to stones) in universe made of subatomic energy ‘vibrations’

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 a little

Physics Nobel Prize: “entanglement” 2 particles share info instantly at a distance

“It may be that gravity and quantum mechanics are exactly the same thing,” Leonard Susskind

 

There is no TIME at this level because of force fields come and go in all directions. 

Universe expanding: events may not come together like they did before.

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.

The electricity we use comes from the field around the wire not from election itself.

 

 

@

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/