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Is Your Social Security Taxable?

By: Tax Advisors Tax Planning Views: 5243 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 1

Tax Advisors

Social Security benefits are taxed depending on your total income from all sources. Here is how to calculate how much of your Social Security benefits is taxable.   Provisional Income   Provisional income is your total worldwide income, including tax-exempt income, plus half of your Social Security benefits. 2. 3. 4. More

New FHA rules deadlines may jeopardize condo mortgages

By: Kenneth R. Harney Home Loans Views: 5254 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

Kenneth R. Harney

Tens of thousands of condominium unit owners around the country may not know it, but their ability to sell or refinance could be jeopardized by a rolling series of federal government deadlines. Beginning next spring, another 23,000 projects - with residential units totaling into the estimated hundreds of thousands - could lose their eligibility as well. The deadline was Tuesday. More

Affordable Health Care Reform Act

By: John A. Beyer, CLU Insurance Views: 4047 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

John A. Beyer, CLU

It is interesting that the title to this act in no way will effect the cost of health care in the U.S. Employer-Sponsored Insurance Costs Rise in California, Across U.S. For the report, Mercer surveyed 2,836 public and private employers with 10 or more employees. Report Details.  The survey found that the average PPO deductible increased to $1,200 this year. More

Google takes advantage of Irish tax law to cut its tax bill by billions

By: Academix Tax Planning Views: 9587 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

Academix

Google Inc. cut its taxes by $3.1-billion in the past three years using a technique that moves most of its foreign profits through Ireland and the Netherlands to Bermuda. Google's income shifting -- involving strategies known to lawyers as the "Double Irish" and the "Dutch Sandwich" -- helped reduce its overseas tax rate to 2.4%, the lowest of the top five U.S. Treasury Department. Ms. More

Investors might face higher taxes on dividends next year

By: Tax Advisors Tax Planning Views: 5317 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 1

Tax Advisors

If the tax cuts are allowed to expire at the end of the year, stock dividends will be subject to a much higher tax. Right now, the tax on stock dividends typically is a maximum 15%. But if the Bush tax cuts expire and we revert to previous levels, dividends would be subject to an income-tax rate of as much as 39.6%. More

Will tax breaks help businesses grow payroll?

By: Peter Suhai Tax Planning Views: 4411 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

Peter Suhai

Employers who hire people struggling to find work this year will reap tax benefits under a new federal law, but business groups say the law doesn’t go far enough. The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act was enacted March 18. It gives a payroll tax holiday to employers who hire people unemployed for 60 days or more beginning Feb. 4, 2010 through the end of this year. More

Quest for the perfect credit score

By: NCR Credit Plus Credit Repair Views: 4769 | Comments: 1 | Votes: 0

NCR Credit Plus

A major league pitcher dreams of throwing a perfect game. High schoolers eyeing the Ivy League study furiously in hopes of earning 2400 on the SAT. Why?"Your credit score tells a lot about you," Peplinski said. "A high score means you're responsible and in control of your life. That's proprietary information: "It's a black box," said FICO spokesman Craig Watts.Mystery feeds obsession. More

Social security, retiree Ponzi scheme $16 Trillion short

By: Laurence J. Kotlikoff Retirement Planning Views: 4797 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

Laurence J. Kotlikoff

Social Security just celebrated its 75th birthday. Love it or hate it, it has done its job and should retire. We need a new system, the Personal Security System, which retains Social Security's best features, scraps the rest, and covers its costs. Social Security's objective - forcing people to save for retirement - is legit. What about cutting defense instead? Laurence J. More

Private transfer fee ban could cost homeowners.

By: Kenneth R. Harney Home Loans Views: 3902 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

Kenneth R. Harney

A federal agency is moving to prohibit controversial "private transfer fees" on all mortgages funded by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But its proposed ban might extend to transfer fees routinely collected by community associations across the country -- potentially forcing some of them to raise assessments on thousands of unsuspecting homeowners.   Edward J.   Kenneth R.   More

Expert Says Bad Credit Score Doesn't Have to be Permanent

By: NCR Credit Plus Credit Repair Views: 4425 | Comments: 0 | Votes: 0

NCR Credit Plus

These days, small business owner Anonthy Smith is doing well at his New Clothing Store, Heavy's Clothing&Jewerly, but it wasn't always this way."I am a business owner, and there are ups and downs, and I had some downs, " said smith.A bankruptcy in a poor economy pushed his credit score down, making it tough to get a loan. More