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  • Happy Hour: Honest Jobs And Index Extravaganza

    December 7, 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.

    Honest Jobs

    Congratulations nurses!  A recent Gallup poll had participants rate the honest and ethical standards in different professions.  Nurses were viewed as the most honest and ethic people.

    What’s surprising is college teachers and clergy falling to seventh and eighth.  Even more surprising, car salespeople beat out Members of Congress for dead last.

    Index Extravaganza

    If indexers are annoyed by the lack of choices they have, things are looking up.  The Nasdaq announced the possible creation of 24,000 new indexes, with 4,000 being introduces this week.  As if the ETF and index fund space wasn’t crowded enough.  The idea is to get as specific as possible with the indexes.  Basically breaking things down to the most minute detail. Continue Reading…


  • Gifting The 21st Century Savings Bond

    December 3, 2012

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    Jon

    Savings Bond GiftFor decades the savings bond was the gift you knew would last past the year.  That was the idea.  It was the easiest way to gift money that would grow over time.

    A Little History

    The bulk of the savings bonds I got as a kid happened before I was teenager.  I may have received some for eighth grade graduation, since all those bonds were earmarked for college.  A savings bond gift with 4 years to go was a wise and safe investment.  In the end, I had enough to buy a semester of books and a few late night pizzas – which was the point.  Looking back, you have to wonder what that money would have grown to under a solid investment plan.  And how many more pizzas I could have purchased as I studied for exams.

    I can’t complain too much.  The rates on those savings bonds were great compared to the interest rates we have today.  Back then, there really wasn’t any other option either.  You couldn’t open a brokerage account with $25, $50 or $100.  That would barely cover the brokerage fees.  The internet didn’t even exist yet.  Discount brokers hadn’t been invented.  Those two missing pieces would eventually bring investing to the masses.  The low-cost transaction fees and easy account access of today almost makes the savings bond a thing of the past. Continue Reading…


  • Happy Hour: Stagnation and Getting Better

    November 30, 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.

    Stagnation

    The Tax Foundation released its summary of federal income tax data.  It’s a jumble of tables, numbers and percentages that show a major issue – income stagnation.  Even though income and taxes increased for the year in question.

    Over the past decade, income has been relatively stagnant.  Meaning it just kept up with inflation, nothing more.  Which you can speculate as a contributing factor to the excessive debt taken out during that same period.  Which isn’t a good thing.  Our economy requires two things to grow – lower unemployment and higher wages.  The former is slowly improving, the latter needs some help.

    Getting Better

    Charlie Rose interviewed Warren Buffett and Carol Loomis this past Monday.  The first few minutes Warren pushes his higher taxes agenda.  But it gets better after, covering past and present topics.  As usual, it’s a 54 minute lesson filled with a wealth of insight for anyone looking to invest.  One thing to note, after the dismal topic above, even Warren believes the economy is getting better. Continue Reading…


  • How To Find Your Modified Adjusted Gross Income

    November 29, 2012

    ·

    Jon

    MAGIYour modified adjusted gross income or MAGI is used to determine your eligibility on a number of things.  This includes several credits and deductions, Medicare Plan B premiums, and is most known for determining IRA deduction and Roth IRA contribution eligibility.

    So, it’s a pretty important number to have handy.  There’s just one problem.  It’s not the easiest number to figure out.

    What is MAGI?

    Modified Adjusted Gross Income is your adjusted gross income (AGI) plus a few specific deductions.  Since the number is entirely dependent on those deductions, it can change from year to year.

    In order to find your modified adjusted gross income, you first need to find your adjusted gross income.

    Find Your AGI

    Your adjusted gross income is your total or gross income minus certain deductions, known as adjustments.  Whether you know it or not, you figure this number out each year when you do your taxes.   You can find it on: Continue Reading…


  • The Special Dividend Tax Rules

    November 27, 2012

    ·

    Jon

    Special DividendThere has been a flurry of special dividend announcements recently.  Many from companies that don’t normally pay a dividend.  Which shouldn’t be surprising really.  Which leaves shareholders with a nice end of the year dividend payment.  Of course, even special dividends are taxed.  But how is it viewed for tax purposed?

    Regularly scheduled dividend payments are considered an earnings distribution.  Because of this the payments are viewed as ordinary income and taxed accordingly.  However, special dividends are not always viewed the same way.  Which complicates things.  Any tax implications will depend on how the company classifies the special dividend.

    What Is A Special Dividend?

    A special dividend is a one time dividend payment to shareholders outside of any regularly scheduled dividends, if there are any.  Companies usually declare a one time dividend because of very strong earnings or if there is an excessive amount of cash on the balance sheet.  But it can be issued for a number of other reasons too. Continue Reading…


  • Happy Hour: Happy Thanksgiving And Twinkies

    November 23, 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.

    Happy Thanksgiving

    I’m a day late in the Thanksgiving wishes.  So Happy Black Friday.  I did find some interesting Thanksgiving Financial Trivia.  It seems Thanksgiving time is steeped in a history of debt and high interest rates.  The Pilgrims had to borrow to get here and at 30-70% rates.  Just something to think about while you’re waiting in line for all those special deals today.

    Twinkies Bubble

    We lost an icon recently when Hostess closed it’s doors for the last time.  The everlasting Twinkie and other Hostess brands were tasty treats of urban legend.  When the news broke, Twinkie prices spiked as customers feared losing the inside out pound cake.  There’s no need to worry though.    There are already suitors for the name brands and recipes.  Which still have value.  The rush on stores proved it.  You Twinkie addicts will get your snacktastic fix soon. Continue Reading…


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