Become a Patron! I've written before about the FAMILY Act, the leading Democratic initiative in the House and Senate to create a nationwide system of paid family and medical leave like that enjoyed by citizens of virtually every other country in the world. One of the things advocates say when describing the FAMILY Act is that it's based on a "social insurance model." This … [Read more...] about Wage replacement is an important measurement, whether or not it’s good policy
personal finance
The (weird) optionality of Series EE savings bonds
Become a Patron! There's a cliche at least as old as I am, that while ATM's were expected to reduce the demand for bank tellers, banks actually increased the number of tellers they employed, for the counter-intuitive reason that a bank branch was much easier to administer once simple deposits and withdrawals were handled by machines. Instead of wiping out the retail branch, … [Read more...] about The (weird) optionality of Series EE savings bonds
What you need to know about the idiotic “QBI deduction reduction” rule
Become a Patron! In the frenzy to pass the Smash-and-Grab Tax Act of 2017, a faction of Republican senators who, totally coincidentally, are the owners of passthrough businesses, insisted on including a special treat: in addition to tax cuts on the profits of C corporations, and cuts to the personal income tax rates they pay on their passthrough income, they demanded that … [Read more...] about What you need to know about the idiotic “QBI deduction reduction” rule
Smart people overestimate the difficulty of maximizing the interest earned on savings
Become a Patron! I've been using high-interest rewards checking accounts and other "gimmick" accounts for so long, I had somehow convinced myself that everybody else was using them, too. So imagine my shock listening to a recent episode of the Milenomics Squared podcast, hosted by two of the savviest guys I know, when they both essentially said, "it seems like too much … [Read more...] about Smart people overestimate the difficulty of maximizing the interest earned on savings
How to think about the Spousal IRA deduction gap
Become a Patron! With the end of the year in sight and tax season around the corner, I've been brushing up on the rules for IRA contributions and deductions. Remember IRA contributions can be made for the 2019 contribution year until April 15, 2020. Most large IRA custodians make it easy to designate your contribution for the appropriate year, but if you use an independent … [Read more...] about How to think about the Spousal IRA deduction gap