Author Archives: David
Not so obvious things which can screw up your credit score — and how to get your free credit reports
This is a good article about non-obvious things which can have an impact on your credit record: http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/5-noncredit-items-ruining-credit-score.html And here is the site to use to get your annual free credit reports from each of the three reporting agencies. Note that they do not include the credit score – this just the […]
58.7% increase in tax rates at the beginning of 2013 for income above $11,950
Yes, you read that right. There was a 58.7% increase in tax rates on taxes paid by certain taxpayers as of the beginning of 2013. That’s the increase in capital gains taxes for folks in the highest ordinary tax brackets, due to the increase in the capital gains rate from 15% to 20%, and the […]
Ritholtz: “A hedge fund for you and me? The best move is to take a pass”
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-05-24/business/39489985_1_hedge-funds-private-investment-partnerships-investors “A hedge fund for you and me? The best move is to take a pass” Barry Ritholtz on Hedge Funds The math is compelling. Hedge fund managers get rich – “2&20” as they say. The investors? Rarely. And the hedging? A lot less than you might think, since the name “hedge fund” has […]
The Father of the Modern 401(k) Says It Fails Many Americans
<http://www.marketplace.org/topics/sustainability/consumed/father-modern-401k-says-it-fails-many-americans> “Thus began the era of make-your-own-retirement.” The 401k wasn’t exactly an accident – it was intentionally put into the tax code. But the blockbuster growth of it, and the way it’s supplanting the traditional pension more and more – that was not the original intention. Scott Tang at American Public Media (NPR) discusses the […]
“The 411 on 529 and other college savings plans”
“The 411 on 529 and other college savings plans” <http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2013/04/18/the-411-on-529-and-other-college-savings-plans/> A nice summary of some of the issues, both good and bad, about 529 plans and some other alternatives for saving for college. Particularly nice to see the two main variations of 529s discussed – “college savings” versus “prepaid tuition”. We don’t see discussion of […]
Should I be alarmed at a “MAP-21” notice in my employer’s pension information?
A recent poster to the misc.invest.financial-plan newsgroup asked about a MAP-21 notice as part of the information from his employer’s pension plan. Below, you’ll find our response: Should I be alarmed at the following info contained in my former employer’s Annual Funding Notice for Retirement Plan? With MAP-21 rates, fund is at 101%, without […]
US Treasury I-series savings bonds – still zero real yield
For the 6th straight 6-month period in a row, US Treasury I-Bonds will be issued with a fixed “real” rate of 0%. That’s zero. Nil. Nada. Zip. The nominal yield is higher, since it’s a composite built out of the fixed (zero) rate plus a component representing inflation. The composite rate right now is 1.18%. […]
A whopping 52.6 percent tax rate on ordinary income
From an article about ranking the tax efficiency of certain income-oriented investments for six-figure earners: Begin by choosing marginal tax rates for both ordinary income and long-term capital gains. Litman Gregory assumed a whopping 52.6 percent rate on ordinary income, which includes 8 percent for state income tax. The federal portion consists of this year’s […]
Gold Bugs Swatted Again
Gold Bugs Swatted Again Rick Ferri on gold. note especially his charts showing inflation-adjusted price of gold.
A brief history of taxes in america (humor, kinda)
A brief history of taxes in america (humor, kinda) [gotta love the mustache-twirling robber barons]http://www.theawl.com/2013/04/a-brief-history-of-taxes-in-america If we cannot cry, we should at least laugh.
Meyers Wealth Management 