Economic Recovery - The Status?

Is it a U, V or W? I suggest you become familiar with these terms.


A must read.


http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-08-12-economic-recovery-shape_N.htm

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What Business Are You In?

Alan R. Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company, continually asks the question "What Business Are We In?"

What lessons can we learn from his question?

Great reading on how he approaches running Ford Motor Company.

http://bit.ly/102Zrl

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Stories from Stanford's Victims

Stanford - a .classic Ponzi Scheme. A must read for investors concerned about their wealth


http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/20/antigua-bank-cd-personal-finance-financial-advisor-network-allen-stanford.html?feed=rss_finance_advisernetwork


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Ben Stein may have it right on the economy - stay focused

Ben Stein's recent article in the NY Times makes a lot of sense. Perhaps President Obama is trying to tackle to many projects at one time. Staying focused on one and the most important subject could be the answer. Great reading.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/business/economy/12every.html?_r=1&ref=business

Competition Heats-Up in the PC Operating System World

Google is challenging Microsoft with its new operating system. Should make life interesting. Breaking news. Competition is healthy.


http://bit.ly/YQHDo

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Madoff Sentenced - Time to Revisit Ponzi Schemes

Bernie Madoff was sentenced this week. He will be spending the rest of his life in the slammer. This is a good time to review the makings of a Ponzi Scheme. A must read for investors.


http://bit.ly/Ruwry

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The Plot Thickens in Madoff's Ponzi Scheme

65 billion lost in Madoff's Ponzi Scheme. This is not chunk change. A lot of finger pointing. I suspect more civil fraud charges are on the horizon. Good reading

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/business/23madoff.html?ref=business

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Ford Motor Family Pulls Together During Tough Times

Great Story. It will be interesting to see where Ford Motor Company is 5 years from today.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/business/23ford.html?_r=1&ref=business

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Thinking about buying life insurance? All permanent life insurance contracts are not the same. The case for permanent participating whole life insurance.



http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/10/mutual-life-insurance-financial-adviser-network_0210_financial_planning.htm



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Check out the many free videos available on a variety of personal finance topics.

Do You Know the Hidden Truth about 401K's & IRA's?

A lot of talk about 401k's and IRA's. Are they good as the financial press claims? Discover the Hidden Truth about 401K's and IRA's.



http://www.wealthandsafety.com/Hidden-Truth-About-401K%27s-and-IRA%27s.html

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Check out the many free videos available on a variety of personal finance topics.

Is The Financial Hurricane Getting Closer?

Worried about collecting Social Security? You may want to shift some of that worry to Medicare.

Medicare's liability is about 5 1/2 times the size of Social Security's ($18 trillion) and about six times the size of the entire U.S. economy.

So what should we worry about? We should worry about the massive, unfunded liability that is being created for future generations. Click Here

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Check out the many free videos available on a variety of personal finance topics.

Thinking About Buying US Corporate Bonds?

Thinking about buying US Corporate Bonds?

You may want to rethink that strategy. Take a look at the outcome of GM and Chrysler corporate bondholders. http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=328317766151198

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Check out the many free videos available on a variety of personal finance topics.

What Kind of Kid Are You?

Invest 5 Minutes and ask yourself the question "What Kind of Kid Am I."

Are you disciplined to do what you need to do now to have a bigger tomorrow, or are you too focused on just what you need to do right now?

You are your greatest asset. A good rule of thumb is to focus 65% of your time on things you should do for today, and 35% of the time focused on tomorrow. Why? Tomorrow is right around the corner.

http://www.ted.com/talks/joachim_de_posada_says_don_t_eat_the_marshmallow_yet.html

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A Guide to Self-Employmenat

Newsweek recently published an article on "A Guide to Self-Employment." A must read if you are planning on working for yourself. http://bit.ly/RefPd

To keep updated on great articles on wealth and safety, sign-up for our newsletter, and visit our website at http://www.wealthandsafety.com/Check out the many free videos available, on a variety of personal finance topics.

Are You One of the Majority of Americans Postponing Healthcare?

The majority of Americans are postponing visiting the physicians due to economic conditions. A startling article reveals the alarming trend.


http://bit.ly/dv1Eq

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How Liquid is Your 401K?

Need access to your cash in your 401K? You better read the fine print on the withdrawal privileges before investing. You may not have access to your money in time of an emergency.

http://bit.ly/UdgdH

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No One is Immune from the Credit Crisis

Edmund Andrews, a business writer for the New York Times, give his own personal story about the mortgage credit crisis.

A must read for anyone struggling with making their mortgage payments and cash flow.

http://bit.ly/K7ARS

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Ford Motor Company - A Glimmer of Hope in Detroit

There is a glimmer of hope in Detroit - Ford Motor Company.

Ford didn't take any money from the Federal Government. It's boss, and biggest cheerleader, Alan Mulally, has kept Ford out of bankruptcy. He also has bet the farm on Ford's new and innovative cars.

Joe Nocera from the New York Times posted a great article on Ford and its future. Check it out. http://bit.ly/8PIqa

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The Irony of the Sin Tax

Lot's of talk about raising taxes on soda pop, fast food, alcohol and tobacco. Who is the tax really hurting?

Obama says he wants to raise the taxes on the rich (people making over $250,000 per year).

Is the population that consumes the majority of these items?

Great article by the Tax Foundation. Check it out.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/24710.html

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Health Savings Account (HSA) Contribution Limits Announced by IRS for 2010

The IRS has recently announced new HSA contribution limits for 2010
Individuals $3,050
Family $6,150

Keep in mind, this is the only financial instrument that contains all three components of tax deduction, tax deferral, and tax free withdrawals.

A family in the 30% tax bracket would save $1,845 in taxes if they contributed the maximum amount of money into their HSA account.

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Using Your Credit Card? Start Reading the Fine Print

“Those that manage their credit well will in some degree subsidize those that have credit problems.”

A recent article posted by the Wall Street Journa. A must read for credit card users paying their bills on time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/business/19credit.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

How High is High on Your High Yielding CD?

“Bulk up Yours Savings with Our High Yield CD -1.9%”

I was checking my bank balance this morning on-line and I ran across the banner from one of the largest banking institutions in the US, “Bulk up Your Savings with Our High Yield CD – 1.9%.”
I started thinking “how high is high?” Do the financial institutions really want us to believe this a high yielding rate? If so, what else do they want us to believe?
This is also the same institution that wants to charge over20% for unpaid balances on credit cards. This means the Bank wants to pay 9 times less on their CD’s then they want to charge on their credit cards.
The Numbers
If you run a balance of $10,000 on your credit card for a year you will pay $2,000 in interest. The bank will only have to pay $190 in interest for the same amount on the CD. This is not “chunk change.”
The Lesson
Instead of being a customer of the “Bank of A” we need to create our own bank and call it “Bank of U”.
We need to learn the secrets that banks know about the flow of money and how money really works. Learning these secrets, and creating our own bank, will have a major impact on creating wealth during our lifetime.

Are You Suffering from the Success Tax?

Do you think the Politicians have all of the facts when they make statements about making sure the rich pay there fair share in taxes?

The Federal Reserve recently released new data on income taxes paid in America for 2006.

The results.

People earning over $388,806, the top 1% of income earners, pay 39.89% of all income taxes.
People earning over $153,542, the top 5% of income earners, pay 60.14% of all income taxes.
People earning over $108,904, the top 10% of income earners, pay 70.79% of all income taxes.
People earning over $64,702, the top 25% of income earners, pay 86.27% of all income taxes.
People earning over $31,987,the top 50% of all income earners, pay 97.01% of all income taxes.

Summary - 50% of all income earners in the US (68 million Americans) pay little or no income tax.

Is Charles Dickens Teaching Us Something About Life Today?

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had
everything before us, we had nothing before us.

— From Charles Dickens’, A Tale of Two Cities

Ben Stein on the Insurance Professional

"In particular, I’ve come to love insurance sales representatives. After many years of skepticism, and despite many warnings from consumer “experts,” I have come to believe that you can rarely have too much insurance, and that whatever insurance you don’t have is exactly what you will wind up needing. The fact that so many people in insurance sell you what’s good for you, even when smart alecks are telling you not to buy it, makes their work extremely impressive. I wish I had paid more attention to them."

Ben Stein NY Time Sunday April 26th 2009

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/business/26every.html?_r=1

The Surprise I Received when I Attended My First Polo Match

I recently attended my first polo match. Obviously, I don't know much about polo. However, the weather was great and a good group of people attended the event.

I was pleasantly surprised when a team of Clydesdale's showed up pulling their trailer during the intermission. They entertained the children. I had never been close to these horses so I went over for a closer look. The horses are huge, strong and beautiful.

It made me think about last January's Super Bowl. My favorite ad during the game was by Budweiser featuring the Clydesdale's.

Enjoy the clip.

http://www.myheroesandlegends.com/Clydesdales.html

Are You Sure You Want to Cut that Check for Your Annual Traditional IRA Contribution this Year?

April 15th is right around the corner. Your advisor might be suggesting you make your annual IRA tax contribution to save on tax taxes.

Does making a contribution to your IRA really save on taxes?




It depends. Retirement accounts do not avoid taxes they simply postpone taxes. You will pay taxes when you start withdrawing from your account.



The facts.

• You will not know the exact amount of the taxes owed until you start withdrawing the money.


• The tax calculation is also postponed until withdrawal time.


• Your tax bracket play, at time of withdrawal, determines the amount of tax to be paid.


• The tax bracket at the time of contribution is not used at the time of withdrawal and tax calculation.

It is impossible to determine the tax savings during the contribution phase because of your unknown future tax bracket. The calculation can only be determined once the withdrawals are taken. The uncertainty of your actual tax bracket at withdrawal and the uncertainty of the future formula for calculating taxes are unknown factors. This should be an alarming concern.

You must understand the rules. Your qualified money is under government control. The government decides the rules and the way the game is played. The government also decides when you will take the withdrawals, the amount of withdrawals, and the tax bracket at withdrawal, regardless of your current financial situation. The rules may change at any time with a stroke of a pen. New rules may not be to your benefit.

Qualified Plans are tax postponed savings vehicles. You will not know if you have made wise decisions because of the unknown tax brackets at the time of withdrawal. Great investment decisions might be adversely impacted by significantly higher tax bracket. It is important to know all the rules so you can make educated decisions.

About Social Security's Future

Have you read the front page of your Annual Social Security Statement lately?



I just received my annual statement and this is what it said:


About Social Security future.....


"Social Security is a compact between generations. For decades, America has kept the promise of security for its workers and their families. Now, however, the Social Security system is facing serious financial problems, and action is needed soon to make sure the system will be sound when today's younger workers are ready for retirement.


In 2017 we will begin paying more in benefits than we collect in taxes. Without changes, by 2041 the Social Security Trust Fund will be exhausted and there will be enough money to pay only about 78 cents for each dollar of scheduled benefits. We need to resolve these issues soon to make sure Social Security continues to provide a foundation of protection for future generations."



You might want to think through your retirement strategy if you relying on social security to provide a big source of your income especially if you are under 40 years old. Start planning now. Changes are on the horizons.



Grab your annual "Social Security Statement." and check it out for yourself. It is an eye opener.

Learn more: http://www.wealthandsafety.com/

Tax Freedom Day Video

Tax Freedom Day is April 13th. This video was produced by the Tax Foundation. This foundation provides informative information on taxes and tax related topics.



Don't miss the opportunity to watch this video.



Check it out on our website

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How to Spot a Ponzi Scheme

Excellent article by Forbes columnist Thomas C. Scott on "How to Spot a Ponzi Scheme." A must read.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/06/bernie-madoff-scam-personal-finance-financial-advisor-network-ponzi-scheme.html


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Tax Freedom Day

Tax Freedom Day will arrive on April 13 this year, according to the Tax Foundation’s annual calculation using the latest government data on income and taxes. This is the earliest in the year that Tax Freedom Day has fallen since 1967.

Learn More http://www.wealthandsafety.com