Reader Inbox You can’t make this stuff up. As one client emails: E.J., I feel blessed by PG&E. They threatened to turn off power again early this morning and at this writing (1:35 PM) it is still on. The Saturday night to Monday afternoon outage wasn't exactly fun. I lost everything in my refrigerator and freezer and couldn't cook anything. I'm in a condo, so no generator is allowed. My son's community in Maine looks more inviting by the day. And another: E.J., Hope you are well. Read the "Your Survival Guy" article about the sorry state of the sorry state of California -- … [Read more...]
Merry Christmas from Young Research
Merry Christmas to you and your family—wherever you’re from—you’re never far from home. And happy birthday Jimmy Buffett. … [Read more...]
The Real Tax-Cut “Mafia Thugs”
Who will foot the tax bill in high tax states if the successful decide to pick-up and leave? With all the hand wringing by blue state politicians about this tax cut triggering "an economic civil war" or comparing Republicans to "mafia thugs" maybe they should consider creating more ways to keep successful Americans living there. The WSJ has more here: You can figure out who most needs reform by the decibels of protest. Amid other apocalyptic warnings, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last weekend declared that the GOP bill’s limit on the state-and-local tax deduction will trigger "an economic … [Read more...]
Tax Bill Big Changes to 529 Plan
One item, in particular, that I like with the pending tax reform is how the 529 plan will be treated. It expands the use to elementary and secondary schools at a max of $10,000 per beneficiary per year for qualifying expenses. This from the NYT: Buried in Section 1202 of the tax bill are a number of proposals to consolidate and simplify various tax breaks for education savings. Part of the section in effect would neuter something called a Coverdell account, which families have used for years to save for both private school and college. But then comes the big change: Elementary and high … [Read more...]
Small Business Profile: Island Creek Oysters
Originally posted April 8, 2014. Becky and I are familiar with the Island Creek success story because good friends of ours live in Duxbury, MA and hang-out with the founder and CEO Skip Bennett. If you like oysters, then you’ll love Island Creek Oysters. What’s great about Skip’s incredible story is that it was his desire for independence that drove him to success. I think every small business owner and entrepreneur can relate to Skip. Here’s a recent profile on him and Island Creek by Under Current News: Before the knuckly-shelled morsels from Island Creek Oysters make it onto the white … [Read more...]
A Trump Reality Plan for Federal Workers
Your retirement savings plan, the 401(k) or any other defined contribution plan, is the product of cost cuts. For years now, in the private sector, the 401(k) has replaced defined benefit products such as pensions. In the public sector, where job security is supposed to mean less pay, employees continue to receive both, life-time job security and golden pensions. It’s time taxpayers had a say in the matter. Here are some workable solutions that help level the playing field courtesy of my friend Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at Cato Institute. Freezing Hiring: … [Read more...]
Millennium Tower Boston
Millennium Tower in Boston is a perfect example of what’s happening in Boston’s luxury condo market. From today’s Boston Globe: For proof that Boston has become a luxury housing mecca for wealthy people from around the world, look no farther than Downtown Crossing. At the high-end Millennium Tower, buyers have come from Greece, Hong Kong, and the Middle East, scooping up condos two or three apiece. There’s a real estate executive in San Francisco who markets luxury US properties in Asia, and claims on her website that she’s sold 7 percent of the tower — roughly 30 units. And then … [Read more...]
Bond and Pension Struggle in Puerto Rico
You get an idea how the struggle between bondholders and pensions quickly turns into a political nightmare, as reported in the WSJ: San Juan, Puerto Rico—One of the thorniest tasks awaiting a seven-member board charged by Washington with cleaning up Puerto Rico’s debt crisis is deciding how to balance a $70 billion debt load with nearly $43 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. The issue is coming to a head now because the White House is set to name as soon as next week the members of that oversight board, drawn from lists of candidates submitted by congressional leaders in both … [Read more...]
Pension Survival Increases Risks
"The public dispute over accounting standards is a signal to taxpayers, retirees and political reformers that fundamental flaws remain in how pensions measure their finances,” writes Steve Malanga in the WSJ. At issue, as he correctly points out, is the delusion that government pensions “on average estimate they will earn 7.6% a year on their portfolios.” Using a more realistic riskless rate (as if that exists!) increases the unfunded liability from about $1 trillion to $3 trillion. It’s all funny money. I’ve looked at the numbers in Newport, RI and it’s ugly. The stock market will not come to … [Read more...]
Low Interest Rates Threaten Insurers and Baby Boomers
Here you get a glimpse at the problems facing insurers and baby boomers thanks to the Fed’s zero percent interest rate policy as reported earlier this month in the WSJ. Insurers reported a messy second quarter plagued by low interest rates and catastrophe claims, highlighted by a $2 billion charge at MetLife Inc. tied to a savings product popular with baby boomers. Life insurers MetLife, Prudential Financial Inc. and Lincoln Financial Group booked lower premiums and fees, while property-and-casualty insurer Allstate Corp. faced elevated levels of claims for severe weather, including a … [Read more...]
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