(Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images Although the first IRS tax filing deadline has passed (April 18), tax scamsters will continue their swindles to ensnare taxpayers. The pitch for every tax scam is the same: “We will help you avoid paying the IRS.” While there More
Close up of man with calculator getty For many Americans, tax season is as exciting as watching paint dry and as tedious as picking weeds in the garden. The best or worst moment is finalizing the calculations that determine whether you get a refund or a tax bill. Here are some tips on how you More
(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)Getty Images I cringe every time somebody tells me “it’s a market economy.” I get the economic reality of that statement, but it also signals a loss of control. What is the market economy? It’s when the value of your 401(k) tanks. It’s when gasoline and natural gas price soar because More
(Photo By Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images There’s always a catch when I mention Roth IRAs. Not everyone can open one, but if you can, it’s a must-have account. Roths come in two flavors: The Individual Retirement Account (IRA) version you can set up yourself or the More
James Caan visits his old prison mate Willie Nelson in a scene from the United Artist movie “Thief”, … [+] circa 1981. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Getty Images Consumer scams are like gremlins. They just keep morphing into something else. A relatively new scam involves swindlers posing as representatives of the Consumer Financial… More
Pay less attention to stock prices and more to what your portfolio companies are earning. Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)Getty Images Is the bear market about to resume? Maybe. But even if it doesn’t, there will be a big correction at some point and then another and… More
(Photo by Derrick Warren/Mirrorpix/Getty Images) Getty Images When most Americans think of Social Security, they think of the old age pension program. But the program is much more than that and should be strengthened for coming generations. It’s a true safety net. Do you know how it works and what it covers? Retired workers and… More
Commencement ceremonies at the Harvard Business School campus in front of Baker Library, in Boston, … [+] MA on May 29, 2014. (Photo by Rick Friedman/rickfriedman.com/Corbis via Getty Images) Corbis via Getty Images Paranoia is frequently a combination of overdeveloped self-importance, a need to explain perceived patterns in life, and confirmation bias. But there are… More
If you own any Treasuries, take a grim look at what’s left after inflation and taxes. Inflation has already crossed the 6% mark. Are we going to see 7%? What does that do to savers? My answers are “Yes, soon” and “They get slaughtered.” The inflation rate, as measured by the one-year gain in the… More
Holiday hiring sign is displayed at a retail store in Vernon Hills, Ill., Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. … [+] The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the seventh straight week to a pandemic low 268,000. U.S. jobless claims dipped by 1,000 last week from the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday,… More
TIPS won’t do it. If you want to come out ahead, you have to take some risks. Gold mining in Columbia (photo by Edinson Arroyo) © 2021 Bloomberg Finance LP The run-up in prices that the authorities were calling “transitory” seems to be sticking around for a while: 6.2% over the 12 months to October.… More
Ecuador’s newly sworn-in President Guillermo Lasso. He allegedly transferred assets to trusts in … [+] South Dakota in 2017 amid reports that questioned his interests in a bank in Panama. (Photo by Cristina Vega RHOR / AFP) (Photo by CRISTINA VEGA RHOR/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images In recent decades, South Dakota has… More
ONTARIO, CA – MAY 23: New houses line the street in the Inland Empire, the area east of Los … [+] Angeles, in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, May 23, 2003 in Ontario, California. The high cost of housing in the Los Angeles area has many Angelinos opting for lower priced new homes in the… More
Most families with children are eligible for advance payments of the 2021 Child Tax Credit. getty Some 36 million families are eligible for advance payments of enhanced child tax credits for 2021, and the Internal Revenue Service has launched two new online tools to help taxpayers navigate this tax law change. There’s a Child Tax… More
Social Security payments are largely based on your lifetime earnings history. If those records are incorrect, you may receive a lower benefit when you retire. Of course, nearly everything that’s reported to Social Security comes from your employers and tax returns (if self employed). Although you receive a statement every year on how much you… More
