Certificate of Deposits (CDs) are savings tools that people typically hold to maturity, however for a variety of reasons people decide to exit the CD before maturity (for a penalty that typically impacts interest earned) when that happens, the CD that you used to own is not dissolved, it is instead sold on at a […]
Archives for October 2013
Taking Responsibility for your Choices
I get a lot of ideas for writing from interactions on Twitter, last night I commented on something that I saw and the reply has been received somewhat negatively by a lot of people. I’d like to explore further my points in that ‘conversation’ to explain accountability and responsibility. The two real problems with our […]
The Truth about 1099s and Income Tax Reporting
There is a very common misconception in the US, that if I you do not receive a 1099 you do not need to report income on your Income Tax Filing. As such you find many people avoid a deal that comes with a 1099 so that they can fly under the radar.I have some bad […]
This one minor change will Supercharge your IRA
Did you know that the most powerful force that can act on your wealth is the miracle of Compound Interest? Actually, based on my readers here I am certain that you did, but some of you may still be leaving something on the table when it comes to making that power of compounding really work […]
A Great Way to Raise your Tax Burden this year
Now, I know you might think this is crazy advice coming from a Personal Finance blogger, but its not, the post explores the concept of Tax Deferral, a key tool in your tax management planning.Tax Deferral is a concept that takes the income you earn in one year, and pushes it to a later year, […]
Are you Ready to Time the Market?
I wrote recently that I was preparing to ‘time the market’ by reducing my Stock positions drastically, fueled by my feeling that the market was too high, I think that it is artificially propped up at this time by government support through the Quantitative Easing programs in place. Of course many people disagreed with my […]
Build an Investment Product, and earn a commission when someone selects it!
Ever wanted to become filthy rich and create your own investment vehicles, that are so well put together that people want to pay you to use them? For the longest time this has been reserved for large institutional banks, and some hedge-funds. However, now, thanks to Motif Investing, you can earn a commission for investments […]
Turning your Blog into a Business – what you need to know
This post will address the steps required to turn your blog, or other cottage industry into a business. I am going to dig into matters such as Incorporation (entity type, and location) monetization strategies and pitfalls. I will preface this with the reminder that I am not a Tax Professional, nor am I offering legal […]
How can I lower my rate on a $16,000 Personal Loan
I received a message from reader Mike last night asking for thoughts on reducing the cost of his $16,000 personal loan, currently running at 10% APR. Mike has a credit score of 725 and told me that he could afford a $500 monthly payment on a very secure salary. One of the things that looked […]