by Leif Jensen | Jun 12, 2023 | General |
In the last statistics I can find is from 2019, there were 7 million US households do not have a bank account. So that is over 18 million people (2.6 per household) without a checking account out 328 million or 5% of the population in 2019. The reason are believed to...
by Leif Jensen | Jun 7, 2023 | Money Management |
The Glass-Steagall Act effectively separated commercial banking from investment banking and created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, among other things. It was one of the most widely debated legislative initiatives before being signed into law by President...
by Leif Jensen | Jun 6, 2023 | Money Management |
The Gold Standard was a system under which nearly all countries fixed the value of their currencies in terms of a specified amount of gold, or linked their currency to that of a country which did so. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary...
by Leif Jensen | Jun 5, 2023 | Money Management |
I have clients asking me regularly if they should start taking their Social Security at 62, 66 or 70. So, I look into my crystal ball (yes, I have one just for this) and then ask them how long they are going to live. The longevity issue is the crux of the issue. To...
by Leif Jensen | May 30, 2023 | Rant |
If you’re planning your summer vacation… My wife and I keep talking about it but can’t seem to pull the trigger. She has time constraints and now we have adult children issues. Ceremonies to attend. Yes, I also have some time constraints as well, but I have a...
by Leif Jensen | May 24, 2023 | Rant |
No matter how good or how bad you feel, it strikes you dumb when you get your first unrequested solicitation for Long Term Care Insurance… This just happened to me. Granted it may not have been the first, but it was the first I noticed. I got it courtesy of the...
by Leif Jensen | May 23, 2023 | Rant |
Comic strips of yesteryear were a way to FastTrack fame and fortune. Comic strips are a dying medium trapped in another dying medium. I am a long time fan of comic strips, I had followed Bloom County and Drabble in the past. I also actively read collections of the...
by Leif Jensen | May 22, 2023 | Rant |
In 2021, Congress felt that everyone was not paying their fair share of taxes so they enacted more information reporting. Third-party settlement networks, such as PayPal, Square, Venmo and eBay, must send Form 1099-K to payees who are paid over $600 a year for goods...
by Leif Jensen | May 17, 2023 | Rant |
The Auto industry is slowing production based upon the impending recession, so if you are looking to buy a car new or used, be prepared to spend more than planned. The fewer the cars on the lot, the higher the sale price. The limited production is also driving the...
by Leif Jensen | May 16, 2023 | Rant |
I am not fan of AI. Yes, I watch to too many movies and TV Shows and my views on AI have been affected by them, I Robot; Terminator; Matrix; even Mr. Robot… We humans are short sighted, greedy and narrow minded, tunnel visioned people with our own interests front and...
by Leif Jensen | May 15, 2023 | Rant |
However you feel about electric vehicles, our government wants you to buy one.. Congress has made up some arbitrary fuel economy rules and the only way to achieve these are a shift to a platform that I don’t believe is sustainable. First less look at the materials:...
by Leif Jensen | May 9, 2023 | Economy |
The US is in the usual position of not having enough math and hard science majors graduating college to meet our needs. In a recent article focusing on Electrical Engineers, it is suggested that the states provide more funding is needed to fill all of the slots. I...
by Leif Jensen | May 8, 2023 | General |
Money, money, money was everywhere and readily available during COVID. PPP and EIDL saved a number of businesses including a number of my clients. Bank were more willing to lend, it was not difficult to get your hands on cash With the constant increasing of interest...
by Leif Jensen | May 3, 2023 | Taxes |
The current tax code has been in place since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was signed into law in late 2017. Most provisions, including personal income tax rates and brackets, expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress acts. The 21% corporate tax rate and long-term...
by Leif Jensen | May 2, 2023 | Economy |
1st Industrial Revolution – The first Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the mid-to-late 1700s when innovation led to goods being produced in large quantities due to machine manufacturing. (Steam, water, mechanical production equipment) 2nd...
by Leif Jensen | May 1, 2023 | Rant |
As someone whose home has been robbed and son attacked with a knife during the robbery, we have since taken special precautions to protect our home. If I had used this little gadget or something similar, I would probably be hundreds of dollars richer. The piece of...
by Leif Jensen | Apr 25, 2023 | Running a Business |
This tax season, I am using engagement letters from my insurance company. Apparently, they suggest that I use them for all aspects of every service. Usually, I get an expensive book and pick out specific paragraphs to use, this time I took the fast easy route and...
by Leif Jensen | Apr 24, 2023 | Running a Business |
Numerous businesses have competition from competitors of all levels. For tax returns I have my direct peers, – large firms such as Porte Brown down the street, and then the garage preparers. Beyond those there are also Liberty Tax, H&R Block and Jackson...
by Leif Jensen | Apr 19, 2023 | Running a Business |
Over the decades (yes, I’m old) I have seen a vast number of products and services degrade in quality and excellence over time. One area in particular has been comic books from the two largest publishers. The costs are higher than ever and the quality of the art and...
by Leif Jensen | Apr 18, 2023 | Rant |
I know that for years, certain industries required a down payment before they would even think of starting work. Typically, it was only certain industries and those with great up front expenditure requirements. I was recently flabbergasted when I attempted to order a...
