Become a Patron! Welcome to the second entry in my occasional series, "Over There," about personal finance topics in countries besides the United States. These posts aren't meant as advice to people living in those countries, but rather as some kind of practical insight for American readers into how other countries deal with the the same issues we do: savings, insurance, … [Read more...] about Over There: franking credits in Australia
Archives for May 2019
The manufactured “kiddie tax” crisis, explained
Become a Patron! There's a simple rule I like to remind people of whenever a business or finance story emerges from the business section of the paper into the news section or into public consciousness: business journalists are the laziest people in the country. I would call business journalism "stenography," except for the serious injustice that would do the patient, … [Read more...] about The manufactured “kiddie tax” crisis, explained
The SECURE backdoor into 529 assets
Become a Patron! I've written extensively in the past about 529 College Savings Plans, an extremely tax-advantaged method of saving for higher education expenses. Contributions are made after federal and state taxes (although many states offer in-state tax deductions for contributions), compound internally tax-free, and are withdrawn tax-free for "qualified higher education … [Read more...] about The SECURE backdoor into 529 assets
“Social cohesion” and the bigot’s veto
Become a Patron! Last week I wrote about the way people use and abuse terms like "horizontal equity," "intersectionality," and "cultural Marxism," stripped of their original context and brandished as weapons for whatever the speaker's agenda happens to be: If you're embarrassed to say you think it's good that college graduates are forced to defer home purchases, … [Read more...] about “Social cohesion” and the bigot’s veto