by Leif Jensen | Aug 17, 2020 | Running a Business |
Over the years I have worked with five published authors. Only one tied to live off their writings, but they were not doing so successfully when I stopped working with them. But they actually did made the bestseller list on the week the books come out, only to drop...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 12, 2020 | Running a Business |
Restaurants have had an extraordinarily difficult time with this pandemic. First having to shut down completely, then being able to have their product delivered or picked up only. Then being allowed to only have outdoor eating, then allowing at most if possible 20% of...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 11, 2020 | Investing |
Johnny Appleseed, there is the myth and legend, but then there is the man. We all know bits and pieces of the legend. Most of us know little about the man, fewer still know the man beyond some sparse general details. I was reading a book that briefly mentioned the...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 10, 2020 | Corporate Entities |
When original owners sell stock in companies, they find ways to get the money, but still control the company. One of the ways to do this is to issue a different share of stock with little or no voting rights, but rights to dividends and growth. One such company is...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 5, 2020 | General |
George Washington may well be the first environmentalist in our country. All planters knew that the tobacco crop depleted the soil. Others just bought more land, George looked into ways to replenish the soil. His research lead him to move away from tobacco as the...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 4, 2020 | Running a Business |
I read a review of the book George Washington, Entrepreneur. It was surprising, all that I had read about Washington, and it never really touched on this aspect of his life. So, I purchased and read the books it was fascinating with what George and Martha did, they...
by Leif Jensen | Aug 3, 2020 | Taxes |
The bottom 43 to 45% of taxpayers don’t pay in any money for federal income taxes. So, it is unsurprising, that most Americans pay more in payroll taxes than in income taxes. Based on the structure of the Social Security payroll tax, poor and working-class people...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 28, 2020 | Running a Business |
Your business is back up and running. Your revenue and profits are down significantly from last year. The prospects are not looking good for a strong 4th quarter. What we are doing is solidifying our foundation. Making sure we touch all of our existing clients,...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 27, 2020 | Investing |
I have recently reworked two investment accounts. The first is new I opened a Vanguard account when the market tanked, I put half in the S&P account and the other in Wellington. In a couple of months, I am up over 10%. The other was small cap high dividend...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 22, 2020 | Rant, Uncategorized |
It’s the 4th of July weekend and all five of us are here for the annual barbeque. While my wife was thrilled to have us all together, it was interesting to see my boys all in their twenties playing video games together. While this has been a common sight in years...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 21, 2020 | Rant |
Have you noticed that there are significantly fewer movie studios than there were 20 years ago? Some still exist in name only like Columbia, but they are owned by Sony, so don’t count. The consolidations have left us with studios who are less willing to take risks...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 20, 2020 | Running a Business, Uncategorized |
We all have our own horror story for poor customer service. This one is mine. I have been going to this place for years to pick up food. There is an elderly woman who my whole family hates to deal with. She is rude and condescending and slow in her actions. This...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 15, 2020 | Running a Business |
Overspending whether in business or home will only cause trouble. I had a client who had a huge payday and literally spend all the proceeds, while paying no taxes They came to us with a huge, and I mean huge tax bill from both the IRS and Illinois. When I asked why...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 14, 2020 | Running a Business |
Years ago, I was working with a client who really thought she was better than she was. She was looking at selling her business at one point and expected to earn $150,000 from the purchasing business. When I explained the financials to her and we did some quickie...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 13, 2020 | Taxes |
Ever since the IRS made it possible for any Tom, Dick or Harriet to do taxes with limited training and skills. The service was supposed to make sure that these preparers at least filed their own returns. Guess who wasn’t doing what they were supposed to do… The...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 8, 2020 | Tax Court |
Workers for an apartment cleaning business are independent contractors, and not employees, according to the Tax Court The woman who operated her own business contracted with apartment complexes to clean vacated units. She then hired workers with prior cleaning...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 7, 2020 | Retirement |
If you a kid who actually has a job, as opposed to the typically summer jobs that don’t exist this year. You can contribute to a Roth IRA for him or her up to their earning limits or $6,000 whichever is less. If you decide to give this generous gift you have until...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 6, 2020 | Taxes |
The IRS is providing welcome relief on required minimum distributions for 2020. The stimulus law enacted on March 27 waived RMDs from IRAs and workplace retirement plans for 2020. IRA and plan distributions already taken out in 2020.People have until Aug. 31 to return...
by Leif Jensen | Jul 1, 2020 | Running a Business |
First, we had the virus and the closing of most businesses, then we had the protests and looting. Now we have cities moving to open up, but the virus numbers are increasing as well. In October it is believed that the virus may come back in full force. If so, will your...
by Leif Jensen | Jun 30, 2020 | Running a Business |
I was having an argument with my son a few weeks ago. He was complaining that there is no freedom in the US to make your fortune today. I had to call bullshit on this claim. Within the last 20 years I started my business, when I did I started with nothing, no clients...
