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  • Happy Hour: Fancy Paper Bags and Labor Day

    August 31, 2012

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    Jon

    Welcome to the end of the week and another edition of Happy Hour!  Just sit back, relax, and enjoy your end of the week roundup of all things interesting in the land of money.

    Fancy Paper Bags

    It wasn’t too long ago that using paper bags was no better than killing a tree.  Just wasteful and bad for the environment.  Apparently, when it’s a Jil Sanders $290 Brown paper bag, it doesn’t matter.  It features brown stitched seams with gold-colored eyelets and the designers name printed on it.  The best part, it’s made of 100% coated paper.

    When did paper bags become an accessory…without a forty of Olde English inside.  Seriously, $290 for a fancy paper bag!  And it’s sold out!

    Labor Day

    The last days of summer are here with Labor Day weekend.  A day to celebrate the American worker and the fruits of your labor.  For those fancy brown bag folks, Labor Day marks the last day to wear white and seersucker.  Just so you know!  It’s also the start of college football.  Have a great weekend! Continue Reading…


  • Best Options For Your 401k Rollover

    August 30, 2012

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    Jon

    401k RolloverWhen you leave your job, do you really want to leave your retirement savings behind?  It’s probably not the best idea.  So why not bring it with you.  There are several 401k rollover options available that allow you to take your retirement savings so you have better control of that money.

    The 401k rules give you three options when you leave an employer.  You can cash it all out and pay the taxes and penalties – a terrible choice.  You can leave it sit and keep track of the plan administrator till you retire.  Or you can choose to rollover a 401k into another retirement plan.

    Let’s focus on the rollover since it’s the best choice.  You have several 401k rollover options to choose from when you leave your old employer.  By doing so you keep greater control over your retirement funds. Continue Reading…


  • Happy Hour: Blaming Simpsons Stamps & Unfair Tax Rates

    August 24, 2012

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    Jon

    Welcome to the end of the week and another edition of Happy Hour!  Just sit back, relax, and enjoy your end of the week roundup of all things interesting in the land of money.

    Simpson’s Stamps

    The fate of the Post Office is being blamed on the overproduction of Simpsons stamps.  At least that’s the excuse being tossed around this week.  It can’t be from the $5.2 billion loss in its third quarter.  Can it?  Or the potential $15 billion loss on the year?

    Nope.  It’s entire success is based on the Post Office curbing stamp overproduction.  Because it will save $2 million per year.  Now, what to do about the other $14.998 billion? Continue Reading…


  • 2012 Summer Tax Tips

    August 23, 2012

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    Jon

    Tax TipsPaying the lowest taxes possible should be a national pastime.  It’s all about working the tax code in our favor.  Everyone has the opportunity to do it.  You just need to know where your income falls in the tax brackets.

    You can open an IRA and deduct the contributions.  Or take advantage of complex tax shelters.  It’s called tax avoidance and it’s entirely legal.  What holds most of us back is the complexity of the code itself.  It’s always a good idea to have a few tax tips handy.

    Plan To Itemize Deductions

    If you usually fall short of taking the itemized deduction, plan on it this tax season.  Generally, the larger your deduction the less federal taxes you pay.  I have yet to hear anyone complain about paying less taxes. Continue Reading…


  • What Are Target Date Funds?

    August 21, 2012

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    Jon

    Target Date FundsSaving for retirement and investing for retirement are two very different things.  The savings part is easy enough.  Take a portion of your income every year and set it aside for when you retire.  It’s the investing that can be tricky.  Target date funds were created as an easy way to invest for retirement.

    We all know it can’t be that simple.  The idea of eliminating the hassle of picking and choosing investments with a one stop shop retirement fund sounds good.  It’s probably one of many options in your retirement account.  But is it for everyone?

    What Is A Target Date Fund?

    Target date funds go by many names including age based funds, life cycle funds and target retirement funds.  They are all built around the same premise.  It’s a mutual fund built around an asset allocation based on a specific time frame or target date (usually a retirement date).

    The target date mutual fund usually consists of a bundle of stock and bond funds based on its asset strategy.  The fund is designed so the asset mix becomes more conservative the closer it gets to the target date. Continue Reading…


  • Happy Hour: VP Nominee And A Toilet Revolution

    August 17, 2012

    ·

    Jon

    Welcome to the end of the week and another edition of Happy Hour!  Just sit back, relax, and enjoy your end of the week roundup of all things interesting in the land of money.

    VP Nominee

    Mitt Romney finally made the announcement.  I’m not sure if Paul Ryan was the best choice, but the media didn’t waste any time trying to find out.  Whether it was bashing his budget plan or his views on the Federal Reserve, it’s just the beginning.  Only 80 days until the mudslinging ends.

    Toilet Revolution

    The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has done a lot of great work over the years.  With a focus on global health, poverty, development and education, those billions are being put to good use.  Now they want to tackle toilets.  The Gates Foundation put together a funny video about this serious problem.  The entire website is worth checking out.  Who knew going number two was such an issue. Continue Reading…


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