Wealth Creation

“Far too many are missing out on the basic building blocks of wealth creation because of lack of knowledge, exposure and opportunity.”  Ken Zendel, CEO of the National Association of Investors There is a formula for wealth creation.  That is beyond being born into it...

Side Gig

I have been harping that everyone should have a side business to supplement their income and savings. The pandemic helped drive that point home with a vengeance.  How many people all of a sudden became unemployed?  Granted this time there was more assistance with the...

Contactless payments

With the outbreak of the pandemic, more people have moved to contactless payments.  Primarily contactless credit cards, which have a special chip that allows users to pay for a transaction simply by putting their card close to a payment terminal, rather than inserting...

Property locations

I have been approached four times to sell a property I own, which is amusing, since I thought once I bought it I would have trouble selling it because of the poor parking situation.  I am using the property for storage at the moment.  But it is filled to the rafters....

Intellectual properties

Was watching the “Food That Made America” and they showed how C.W. Post stole the recipes for their breakfast cereals from the Kellogg brothers. This was when America was much younger and people more ruthless and had no regard for others and their intellectual...

Success

Had an interesting conversation with my eldest son. At times it seems like I have to have the same conversations with my kids over and over again… #1 was stating that succeeding in the US today was near impossible, unlike in the past. I told him he was full of it and...

Rent

Back on September 1, 2020 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an Agency Order titled Temporary Halt in Residential Evictions to Prevent the Further Spread of COVID-19 (Order). The Order prohibits residential landlords nationwide from evicting...

Emotional Support Animals

Finally the feds are cracking down on emotional support animals on airplanes. Here is an example of a “good idea” turned bad. In a new ruling, the Department of Transportation defines a service animal as a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks...

Brick and Mortar

Brick and mortar or, physical retail is not dead just yet. Some are finding ways to adapt to the new landscape. Most small retailer are going online, having the physical presence, as well as online. There are tools and services to assist in this endeavor and the cost...

Buying from home

Quietly sitting at home and buying items on your computer was already more than a trend, it was a way of life for some. But in the new world order it is now turbocharged. But note the trends within this trend. Shoppers are not just buying more stuff online. What they...

996

In the early 19th century, Robert Owen raised the demand for a ten-hour day in 1810 and instituted it in his socialist enterprise at New Lanark. By 1817 he had formulated the goal of the eight-hour day and coined the slogan: “Eight hours’ labour, Eight...

Zoom to impress

I guess I have not been taking my Zoom call as seriously as I should.  Granted I have not had that many meetings with clients, but I do have a monthly BOD call with a NFP client.  But I have not been as worried about my background as others apparently have. I stumbled...

The Top 1%

There is always a lot of wind from politicians to get the top 1% of taxpayers to pay their fair share of taxes.  Well according to the IRS they are and have been doing just that. The tax burden on high incomers earners has increased, according to IRS statistics. The...

IRA’s

The 2021 pay-in cap for traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs stays steady at $6,000. But the income ceilings on Roth IRA pay-ins go up. Contributions phase out at AGIs of $198,000 to $208,000 for couples and $125,000 to $140,000 for singles. Also, deduction phaseouts for...

The Next Crisis

When the next crisis hits America will still have a big challenges ahead of us. But apparently there are at least there are some promising developments. It only took a few weeks or at the time a blink of the eyes, before our already depleted strategic national...

Candlemas

Candlemas was an ancient Christian tradition, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles were a representation of how long and cold the winter would be. The Germans later expanded the concept, by choosing to have the hedgehog...

Retirement Plans

Many key dollar limits on retirement plans will remain the same in 2021 over 2020. The maximum 401(k) contribution stays at $19,500. People born before 1972 can contribute an extra $6,500. These limits apply to 403(b) and 457 plans as well. The cap on SIMPLEs is...

When is it too far?

In the last election of (2020) Oregon had Measure 110 on the ballot that decriminalizes personal possession of illegal drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and meth. Under the measure, people who possess larger quantities of illicit drugs could still possibly...

Gambling losses

In a recent court case, it was determined that a compulsive gambler can offset winnings with unsubstantiated losses. In 2014, he spent countless hours playing slot machines in four casinos. The casinos issued 160 Forms W-2G, reporting cumulative gross winnings of...

Bleak Profits

I was reading an article that was evaluating the validity of blog post by Ben Carlson, portfolio manager at Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC, where he stated, “investing when things look bleak remains a profitable strategy.” At first blush this seems counterintuitive. ...

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