Question: Freelancing and getting taxes taken out up front instead of end of year?

"It seems that you think you are freelancing, and they think you are an employee. What's bad for you, the tax office will also think you are an employee if they withhold tax for you. Alternatively, they think you are stupid, and they keep the money, but are actually not paying it to the tax office at all, in which case you will have a bad surprise when you do your tax returns.  First, I'd ask them for proof that they are indeed paying these taxes into some account related to you. I'd then ask a tax adviser for some serious advice. If they are acting out of incompetence and not out of malice, then you should be mostly fine, but your work there will count as employment.  Heaven knows why they treat you as an employee. Check your contract with them; whether it is between you and them or your company and them. It maybe that they never hired a contractor and believe that they have to pay employment tax. They don't. If your company sends them a bill, then they need to pay that bill, 100% of it, and that's it. Taxes are fully your business and your responsibility. As ""quid"" said, if they say they are withholding tax, then at the very least there must be a paystub that proves they have actually been paying these taxes. If they withhold taxes, and there is no paystub, then this looks like a criminal attempt to cheat you.  If they have actually paid taxes properly into your account, then they are merely creating a mess that can hopefully be fixed. But it is probably complicated enough that you need a tax advisor, even if you had none before, since instead of paying to your company, they paid some money to the company, and some to you personally."

I'd share my google sheet I have comparing the two, but in the interest of keeping myself at least a little private, I'll use a made up situation with real numbers.  **Meet Bob.**  Front End dev.  Single.  5y exp in industry.  Likes to live well, in a nice place.  Has no expensive hobbies, or otherwise uncommon expenses.  [Makes 70k in Indianapolis](https://www.paysa.com/salaries/indianapolis,-in--l).  Lives off 50k, puts 20k in the bank yearly.  Receives job offer in Valley. Lets say he makes 170k, which is easily possible.  With a small company, you might expect ~120k.  With a giant, you'd probably be looking at ~200k+.  Both numbers include any RSUs.      **Salary Sources for San Jose**  San Jose was chosen, as many sites simply lump this greater area together as San Jose.  Its just easier, and does not make a huge different in the numbers.  I'm not a front end dev, but 170 is in the ballpark of my offers with larger companies in the valley, as a personal data point.  * [Paysa, which sources salary reports from actual professionals.  Typically from more larger, established companies \(Google, MSFT, Facebook, Linkedin, Amazon, etc\)](https://www.paysa.com/salaries/san-jose,-ca--l) * [Indeed, which is much more bottom of the barrel generally speaking.  No large company is throwing their job on Indeed.](https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Javascript&l=San+Jose%2C+CA)  **Cost of Living**  Lets see how the COL breaks down.  Im using [this breakdown of what people spend their money on](http://www.businessinsider.com/how-americans-spend-most-of-their-money-2017-1) to get ideas.  Lets say Bob was spending 60k in Indy, saving 20k/yr.    * Rent - $1400/mo apartment, $17000/yr * Food - $20/d, $7300/yr (Bob is a bad cook/lazy) * Transportation - it looks like we can [estimate high and say 10k](https://www.valuepenguin.com/average-household-budget) * Taxes - $14k - https://smartasset.com/taxes/income-taxes#FB9ktMO6uP * 10k on other misc. - Healthcare, Entertainment, shit around the house, new socks, etc  (breaks down to $190/wk)  **Total: ~60k**  Lets first try just using COL calculators, which were in the ballpark, but generally high, compared to what I found when breaking down my own expenses.  * [Salary.com says 100% COL increase.](http://swz.salary.com/CostOfLivingWizard/Layoutscripts/Coll_Result.aspx) * [Nerdwallet says 100% COL increase for SF \(SJ not available\).](https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare/indianapolis-vs-san-francisco) * [Numbeo puts Consumer prices, including rent, to be ~50% higher.](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&city1=Indianapolis%2C+IN&country2=United+States&city2=San+Jose%2C+CA&amount=4%2C500.00&displayCurrency=USD)  For the sake of argument lets run with the the assumption it costs Bob double to continue his standard of living, based off the above.  As you mentioned, and as I fully agree, housing is the biggest expense, so lets check my assumption there.  A Zillow search for Sunnyvale proper, very close to all of the tech giants HQs, shows [1BR in good conditions and of decent size \(700sqft+\) run anywhere between 2.3k to 3.5k](https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent/Sunnyvale-CA/condo,apartment_duplex,townhouse_type/54626_rid/1-_beds/37.395016,-122.002616,37.348838,-122.064414_rect/13_zm/).  Lets plan for the worst, and say its 3.5k.  Thats 42k/yr.  Living this close (literally biking distance) is a luxury, but lets say Bob hates commuting, so hes willing to pay as such.  Lets not forget Uncle Sam, and more specifically, California's uncle Sam, which is extra greedy.  He will want [roughly 65k](https://smartasset.com/taxes/income-taxes#kMLNaWg8M9), rounding up.  The other big expenses are food and transportation.  Lets say food is 50% more expensive, going with your argument.  7300 * 1.5 = 11k.    Lets say the same for Gas, and general transportation (there is no parking situation in the greater valley - that is a San Francisco downtown city issue, so ignore that).  10 * 1.5 = 15k  Same for everything else.  50% markup.  That laptop in Indy that cost 2k now costs 3k (absolutely not true, but lets roll with it.) . Healthcare too.  10k * 1.5 = 15k  Total San Jose / mid-valley COL: 15k + 15k + 11k + 65k + 42k = 130k.  So using high estimates for everything, Bob now spends 130k of his new 170k salary.  **He now gets to save 40k, double what he did before**.  He also now hopefully has a great name on his resume which will literally open doors, a RSU package which will refresh yearly, **making him earn 500k/yr within a decade**, and will be at the center of his industry.  Keep in mind, this is only coming at this from the mindset of someone in tech.  If I wasn't in tech, I would never, *ever*, ***ever*** consider moving to the valley unless I was bankrolling some other job.  But for tech, the logic is there.  I'm sorry if I upset you, but I've literally broken down my expenses and done all this math for my actual situation.  Lets not even get started with the other perks.  For a large tech company, which is a very realistic goal for someone decently good and easy to work with in tech, you get unlimited vacation, a free for all budget of 2k for training, free lunch and snacks, shuttle service if you live in main hubs (the city, etc), great weather, can ski and surf in the same day - all things you likely do not get in a midwest tech job.

In Phoenix you can get a two bedroom for $600/mo in an okay neighborhood if you know where/when to look, and a bit cheaper if you're willing to go a bit skeezier. Since we are talking minimum wage, you should be hopefully be able to find a job within biking distance (or, if you live in Tempe, take the free bus.) Have one person work mornings and the other work evenings/nights and you don't need daycare. (Other options: have them stay with a nearby family member, trade off watching the kids with other working families, or go for a three bedroom, grab a family member, and have someone work a 20-hr week instead.) Electricity averages to something like $100/mo over the course of the year (my high was about $150, low was around $40 in a two-bedroom.) So ~$700/mo for shelter, maybe $30/mo for a bus pass. That's $730/mo. I'm not saying it would be comfortable, but it can be done.

I would add to this that, while everyone is right on trading, there are certain special situations you could look into that could turn a profit in a relatively short time frame (one month, say).   A recent example is Northstar Realty Finance (NRF). I bought in at $16.50 prior to a spinoff, sold half (the spinoff company) at $18.75 within a month, and the other half (the REIT) has since paid a 50 cent dividend and gone up to mid $18s as well within a total of just over 2 months. (This admittedly sounds like bragging, which isn't intended- I just want to give an example of a short term position resulting in a gain, and I don't know any off the top of my head except the one I did recently).   This isn't trading, but it is a short term position that would have turned a profit with $1800. I still wouldn't recommend it, considering commissions eats a sizable portion. But if you want to take short term positions, you don't need as much as you would to be a day trader.   I would read Seth Klarman's Margin of Safety, the sections on spinoffs and bankruptcy. They provide some useful information on some short term positions. However, also be aware that you should be willing to hold any short term position as a long term position if it does not immediately work out. By way of example, I believed NRF would go up post spinoff but the spinoff company stay the same. Instead, NRF stayed the same and the spinoff went up. But NRF was undervalued, so I held it for another month.   Just my advice. As far as learning goes- use play money. But if you never are going to have enough money to really trade with, hopefully my info on short-term positions is helpful.

Making a game is hard enough, focus on that. If/when you start getting close to having something to sell, then if you're serious and want the company to grow into a full time venture, briefly consult with a lawyer and possibly accountant to set this up. It will save you a lot of time researching what you have to do and a lot of headache from potentially doing things wrong. If you want to try to do it on your own, I'd recommend getting a book on starting a business because there is more to know than a single post can cover.  You'll probably have to file for a DBA (doing business as) at your city hall in order to be allowed to refer to yourself as the name of your company (otherwise you have to use your personal name). Initiating that will likely initiate annual business taxes in your town in addition to the cheap filing fee. You also want to consider how you will handle trademark (of your business and game) and copyright (of your game). If this is going to grow, you'll have to have contracts written for either employees or for freelancers who might produce assets for you. You may also need to consider writing an EULA for your game, privacy policies, etc. Additionally, you'll likely have to file with your state to collect and send sales tax. You'll also want to meticulously track costs and revenue related to your business. Formally starting a business will likely open you up to property, sales and income tax. For example, where I am, was even taxed on the equipment the business uses (e.g. computers). This is why it makes sense to wait until you're closer to having a product before you try to formally start a business and to consult with professionals on the best way.  The type of business you should form will depend on the scope you plan for the company and the amount of time/money you're willing to put in. A sole proprietorship (what you are by default) means there is no difference legally/financially between you as an individual and you as a company. This may be suitable if this is just a hobby, but not if you intend it to grow because that means any lawsuit directed at your company and its money is also directed at you and your money. The differences between an LLC and corporation are more nuanced and involve differences in legal and tax treatment, however, they both shield you from the previously mentioned problem. If you want this to be more than a hobby you should form either an LLC or a corporation. Do some research on the differences and how they might apply to you and in your state.

Yes definitely  Warren Buffet averaged returns of only around 21% throughout his 40 years in business.  ROE of 23% is probably more than double the ROE of most companies , whats more as the saying goes its easier to grow sales from 1 million to 100 million than to grow sales from 100 million to 10 billion

"I don't think there is a law against it. For example comdirect offers multi banking so you can access your accounts from other banks through the comdirect website. My guess would be: Germans are very conservative when it comes to their money (preferring cash above cards, using ""safe"" low interest saving accounts instead of stocks) so there just might be no market for such a tool. There are desktop apps with bank syncing that offer different levels of personal finance management. Some I know are MoneyMoney, outbank, numbrs, GNUCash and StarMoney."

"You absolutely, positively can land in jail in the United States of America for an unpaid, NON-governmental debt: ""In 2011, Robin Sanders was driving home when she saw the blue and red lights flashing behind her. She knew she had not fixed her muffler, and believed that was why she was being pulled over. She thought she might get a ticket.Instead, Sanders, who lives in Illinois, was arrested and taken to jail.As she was booked and processed, she learned that she had been jailed because she owed debt — $730 to be precise, related to an unpaid medical bill. Unbeknownst to her, a collection agency had filed a lawsuit against her, and, having never received the notice instructing her to appear, she had missed her date in court."" So, a private company is able to marshal the power of the State to arrest a person for a non-criminal act: being in debt. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/02/24/debtors-prisons-then-and-now-faq#.kzmmbtcOZ"


Question: Are marijuana based investments promising, or just another scam?

Is there any truth to this, or is this another niche scam that's been brewing the last few years? While it may not be an outright scam, such schemes do tend to be on borderline of scams. Technically most of what is being said claimed can be true, however in reality such windfall gains never happen to the investors. Whatever gains are there will be cornered by the growers, trades, other entities in supply chain leaving very little to the investors.  It is best to stay away from such investments.

In general, you would have to be the age of majority (generally, 18) to take out a loan. Additionally, your credit rating must be sufficient for the bank or loan company to be comfortable loaning you money.

People clamoring for more and more regulation will always be disappointed because businesses will always find ways to get around it.  And, it is the usually the incumbent businesses that are able to do so, while new businesses find increased barriers to entry.  The correct solution is to remove the root source of the tuition bubble, get rid of the government subsidies for higher education altogether.

I don't think you understand human rights. Human rights aren't something enforced on someone, they are inherent in a person's humanity. If you don't want to participate in society (pay taxes) and would prefer giving up your citizenship or spending time in jail you can choose to stop paying taxes.   It is also important to realize corporations pay a smaller proportion of US tax revenue than they have since before world war 2. Corporations are not pulling their weight considering the benefits they are granted by the US Government.  Your silly argument against paying taxes because you think people worse off economically then you don't deserve the joy of having a family is depressing. The United States is the wealthiest nation in the history of world and people are having on average far fewer children than in the past.  Having a lot of young people is beneficial to the country. The fact their parents are forced to work so much they can't raise their children adequately is a failure of the economy and society, not a personal failure of an individual. Unless you think a poor family in Idaho is responsible for the demise of global capitalism, the financialization of the economy, and the cultural counter revolution against the working class.

stopit and I are very happy to vote for Romney. Its pathetic how the political narrative has gotten in this country and all the undue shit the job creators have received in this country. Judging by stopit's comment, its safe to say that he supports more tax breaks for the wealthy because they desperately need it. If there is less demand and less people aren't buying things because they are lazy fuck ups and couldn't keep their jobs or their home, or refuse to pay for medical insurance and go bankrupt as a result and keep having children they can't afford then the rich need all the help they can get because no one, NO RED BLOODED AMERICAN, wants to see their wealth get reduced or leave to another country. DON'T LET THEM GO GALT. Please vote Romney.

So? If the executives have mismanaged the company (and let's not pretend that's what's happening here -- Sears has been being systematically butchered for years at this point, so it's _worse_ than ineptitude), _why the fuck are the executives getting paid instead of existing obligations being at least partially funded_?  If I go to work at a car wash and do such a shit job that I run half a dozen vehicles through the wash with all the windows rolled down, I'm probably not only getting fired, but I'm likely going to be on the hook for damages. Executives pretty much get away with anything that isn't literally criminal in a lot of these cases, and the fact that Sears has been getting parted out for _years_ makes it obvious that they knew full well that it'd be coming to this.

You're exactly right, I wish more people understood this.   That being said, there is definitely progress in this area. The house actually passed a reasonable bill in the past few days and now the senate has taken it up.   [Source](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/12/idUS125555802420111212)

>If you lived in a gang banger / drug dealer's house  right, because it's their house. As in, that person is the rightful and legitimate owner of that property.  Are you claiming that the US Federal Government is the rightful and legitimate owner of all the property of the United States?


Question: My boss wants to buy me a gift. How do I account for taxes for this?

"Gifts given and received between business partners or employers/employees are treated as income, if they are beyond minimal value. If your boss gives you a gift, s/he should include it as part of your taxable wages for payroll purposes - which means that some of your wages should be withheld to cover income, social security, and Medicare taxes on it. At the end of the year, the value of the gift should be included in Box 1 (wages) of your form W-2. Assuming that's the case, you don't need to do anything special. A 1099-MISC would not be appropriate because you are an employee of your boss - so the two of you need to address the full panoply of employment taxes, not just income tax, which would be the result if the payment were reported on 1099-MISC. If the employer wants to cover the cost to you of the taxes on the gift, they'll need to ""gross up"" your pay to cover it. Let's say your employer gives you a gift worth $100, and you're in a 25% tax bracket. Your employer has to give you $125 so that you end up with a gain of $100. But the extra $25 is taxable, too, so your employer will need to add on an extra $6.25 to cover the 25% tax on the $25. But, wait, now we've gotta pay 25% tax on the $6.25, so they add an extra $1.56 to cover that tax. And now they've gotta pay an extra $.39 . . .  The formula to calculate the gross-up amount is: where [TAX RATE] is the tax rate expressed as a percentage. So, to get the grossed-up amount for a $100 gift in a 25% bracket, we'd calculate 1/(1-.25), or 1/.75, or 1.333, multiply that by the target gift amount of $100, and end up with $133.33.  The equation is a little uglier if you have to pay state income taxes that are deductible on the federal return but it's a similar principle.  The entire $133.33 would then be reported as income, but the net effect on the employee is that they're $100 richer after taxes. The ""gross-up"" idea can be quite complicated if you dig into the details - there are some circumstances where an additional few dollars of income can have an unexpected impact on a tax return, in a fashion not obvious from looking at the tax table.  If the employer doesn't include the gift in Box 1 on the W-2 but you want to pay taxes on it anyway, include the amount in Line 7 on the 1040 as if it had been on a W-2, and fill out form 8919 to calculate the FICA taxes that should have been withheld."

I just researched it a bit more and you are correct. It is essentially only a drive-reduction gear and a reverse gear. This means there is very, very little to be serviced on the entire drivetrain. The biggest service issue is the battery pack, and that has a lifetime that is accounted for in the 8 year warranty limit. So Tesla is not sweating the number of miles, honestly.

"In your situation, you probably should not cash in your IRA and 401(k). A good mortgage lender will want to see that you have ""reserves"" -- money that you could fall back on if you hit a very rough patch.  Your current savings and retirement accounts might add up to a suitable reserve. You might want to do something like this instead: By the way, instead of cashing in a 401(k), it is usually better to: This method avoids large tax penalties, and encourages you to rebuild your 401(k).  Unfortunately, your large debt balances might prevent you from getting the PLOC.  But even in the worst case scenario (where you cannot use a PLOC to pay off a 401(k) balloon payment), it postpones the tax hit until after the balloon payment."

To get out of the shithole mess that republicans created.. i.e. Economic Depression .. 3 wars..  But I see Your Username checks out so I'm not surprised ..Stop living in the fantasy world comrade.  Being an ignorant confused putts is not a good look.  I welcome you to join us grow ups in reality

Minimum wage is terribly low.  However, someone making $1700 a month (income from first job), does not have to be homeless in Kansas.   You are not living in the ritzy neighborhood, and would need to budget.   But this is a long way from homelessness.   The average 2bed Kansas City is [under $500 per month](https://www.kcpremierapts.com/how-we-work/nitty-gritty/kansas-city-apartment-pricing.html) in some neighborhoods.   That leaves enough money for food.      Not a desirable lifestyle, but a long way above homelessness unless there are mental health and addiction issues.

In the UK (similar laws exist throughout Europe, see European Consumer Rights Directive), you have the right to return for a refund for any goods that are bought off-premises for 14 days after delivery. http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations I understand that consumer protections in the USA are not as strong though.

TrumleThinnSkins government is frozen like a rabbit in the Head lights, he is unable to move or make any meaningful decisions, all he can do is break stuff other people spent time to build, the only storm coming is the massive fart he is going  to let out as all the hot air escapes his saggy white moronic buttocks.

You could have googled this question.  I did so and found a link to this article. YMMV taking investment advice from thestreet.com is very likely to lose you money.  However, there do not seem to be any sector funds that specifically focus on the electric vehicle market. Along similar, but not exactly the same lines, there are sector funds that focus on renewable energy.  This article reviews some of them.


Question: looking for research tool to plug in and evaluate theoretical historical returns

"The professional financial advisors do have tools which will take a general description of a portfolio and run monte-carlo simulations based on the stock market's historical behavior. After about 100 simulation passes they can give a statistical statement about the probable returns, the risk involved in that strategy, and their confidence in these numbers.  Note that they do not just use the historical data or individual stocks. There's no way to guarantee that the same historical accidents would have occurred that made one company more successful than another, or that they will again. ""Past performance is no guarantee of future results""... but general trends and patterns can be roughly modelled. Which makes that a good fit for those of us buying index funds, less good for those who want to play at a greater level of detail in the hope of doing better. But that's sorta the point; to beat market rate of return with the same kind of statistical confidence takes a lot more work."

Looks like some sources are [confirming the acquisition for $970 million.](http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/25/amazon-could-steal-twitch-acquisition-from-google/) This will be interesting to follow, it looks lower than what had been rumored. Amazon shareholders will be happy, but those involved with Twitch may not be as excited. It almost makes you wonder what happened since the early reports make it look like Google was outbid. If Google really did offer $1B, you have to wonder what happened/changed.

By availing of the web design and development services offered by Markitbee, your company can get the website it deserves. They will not only design an online site based on your specific requirements, but also provide high-quality content. They have a quick turnaround time so your website will be finished before your established deadline. Visit their website at markitbee.com for more information.

A lot of Americans have used Swiss bank accounts to avoid paying taxes. However recently several large Swiss banks have started disclosing the details on some of their customers to the IRS. There isn't much security in Swiss banking at this point in time.

I agree.  Finding success in life is hard.  It will probably always be hard.  There is no need for us to exacerbate the issue by NOT helping those we CAN help, or by blaming them for their failures, when we never taught them how to succeed, either.  >In order to acquire capital you need to do productive things, which (idealy) are productive to some degree to society as a whole.  Unless you inherit it.  The problem is, there are TONS of non-productive ways to build capital, that require capital.  Stocks and futures, monopolies, law manipulation, media manipulation, etc.  There are few methods to gain capital, if you have low capital, that aren't controlled by someone with large capital.  And this is okay, so long as those with low capital have sufficient avenues to increase their capital acquisition.    It also doesn't help that capital they do have is now worth less than it used to be.  A minimum wage job used to be sufficient to pay for a year of college.  Now it isn't even sufficient to pay for housing.  You can't just acquire more capital, because existence itself costs capital.  You need food, water, a place to stay, warmth, a way for people to reach you, and a reliable method of transportation.  You probably also need access to a computer and the internet.  All of these repeatedly cost capital, and you already entered with low capital.  I don't believe our capitalist system is a good reflection of s/d anymore.  I believe it represents control by those with the most.    ISPs have local monopolies because people can't easily move, and a startup ISP is expensive.  Pharmaceuticals have a monopoly on new medicines that people need to survive.  It's kind of a health blackmailing system.  Net Neutrality is being attacked, because ISPs want to be able to charge and control who can access what.  Like any company, they want to thrive.  We are letting our freedom be sold off, one piece at a time, because profit, not people, are the most important thing.  At least, that is where I see things heading.

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"This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=36982) reduced by 94%. (I'm a bot) ***** > Today&#039;s blog completes my little history of the US Treasury Federal Reserve Accord, which really marked a turning point in the way macroeconomic policy was conducted in the US. In Part 1, I explained how from the inception, the newly created Federal Reserve Bank, America&#039;s central bank, was required by the US Treasury Department to purchase Treasury bonds in such volumes that would ensure the yields on long-term bonds were stable and low.  > The Federal Reserve certainly ought not to drive rates up by selling in the market and should work with the Treasury to keep confidence in a stable market.  > Third, according to Allan Sproul&#039;s 1964 Reflection - The &quot;Accord&quot; - A Landmark in the First Fifty Years of the Federal Reserve System - published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in its Monthly Review, the conflict between the Federal Reserve and the Treasury arose because they had &quot;Overlapping responsibilities&quot; between 1914 and 1951.   ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/727ww1/when_intragovernmental_relations_became_absurd/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ ""Version 1.65, ~215878 tl;drs so far."") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr ""PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome."") | *Top* *keywords*: **Federal**^#1 **Market**^#2 **Treasury**^#3 **Reserve**^#4 **Bank**^#5"

"I read one consultant who recommended something a lot like consensus building, but instead of 100% agreement (which is hard and time-consuming to do), you only go after the decision that everyone can ""live with"" - major objections had to be resolved, but other than that, it was good enough.  Another interesting method I saw was very decentralized - everyone makes their own decisions for what they will personally do, after consulting with affected parties. Nothing was seen as a command, only advice.  Wish I had more data, but I don't..."


Question: Connection between gambling and trading on stock/options/Forex markets

For stocks, I would not see these as profiting at the expense of another individual.  When you purchase/trade stocks, you are exchanging items of equal market value at the time of the trade. Both parties are getting a fair exchange when the transaction happens. If you buy a house, the seller has not profited at your expense. You have exchanged goods at market prices. If your house plummets in value and you lose $100k, it is not the sellers fault that you made the decision to purchase. The price was fair when you exchanged the goods. Future prices are speculative, so both parties must perform due diligence to make sure the exchange aligns with their interests.  Obviously, this is barring any sort of dishonesty or insider information on the part of either buyer or seller.

You should try to take out other loans sufficient to pay off your 401(k) loan if you can.   Maybe you can take out a home equity loan?  You can also ask your bank about unsecured loans.  You should also check the rules for your new employer's 401(k), if you're rolling over your 401(k).  There's a small possibility that you could take out another loan right now and apply it to the previous loan balance. Or if you need to wait, you could use it to help pay off any temporary loans that were needed to avoid the distribution penalty.

It could be a couple of things besides extra principal: I seem to remember hearing that some (shady?) lenders would just pocket extra payments if you didn't specify where they were headed, but I've also been told that this just isn't true.

"Why not do both? The object is to ""squirrel"" away as much money as possible. The 401k has the advantage of being a payroll deduction. The IRA, if you can save the money, gives you more control. When you change jobs, you can ""roll over"" your first 401k into either your IRA or your second job's 401k. Note: There are legal limits on total contributions to IRA and 401ks. I've forgotten what they are, so find out for yourself. There may also be income limits, but ones that don't apply to most 23-year olds, unless they own their own company or work for say, Goldman Sachs."

I don't use pre-authorized automatic payment methods because there is no control, and it is impossible to get it back. Once you have authorized a firm to withdraw funds from your account, there is no realistic way to revoke that control, save closing down your bank account entirely and moving to another institution. I once had automatic payments set up for my apartment rent, and then one month they withdrew twice on one day, overdrawing my account; it was very difficult to dispute the charge and get it back. The bank was little help as I had authorized them to withdraw funds; it didn't make any difference that they had done it twice, because I had given them permission to withdraw that amount.  The property management company was large and difficult to contact, and at first denied any wrongdoing. tl;dr version: it's more pain than it's worth, and I will never do it again.

It is creepy how wealthy companies always get these tendencies to change their structure and functioning  to pay the least possible taxes and get into all kinds of this shady shit. I once heard that if you study the behaviour of companies as if they were people, many of them would get diagnosed as psychopaths, and this kind of behaviour is an example of that.   Why does the most profitable company on earth have this perverse urge to increase that money in such shady ways? Why not live up to your honour and pay taxes back to the country that gave you the chance to develop and grow?

Don't worry about Buffett. I have a feeling this will be like Wells Fargo in the 90s where Buffett will make 1000% his investment by the end of the next decade.  You can hate them all you want, but does anybody really think that Bank of America is going away? This is like when BP supposed caused a trillion of dollars in damage, and the market cap fell something like 140 billion. In the end, it's probably only going to cost them $20 billion. Life is already going on for the oil spill. Bank of America will get some more hate for a while. They'll get tons of lawsuits, but they'll probably settle for something like $30 billion (one year's earnings).  In two or three years, you'll have a company earning $30 billion that is current valued at $50 billion. It's been 4 years since the bubble burst in 2007. Most of the crappy loans are gone already (either defaulted/written off or if they have been paying for 4 years then they are not really crappy at all). There are 4 years worth of prime loans on the books. In 2007, people assumed the somewhat opaque book of loans (mostly subprime) is worth 100 cents on the dollar. Today, people are assuming that the somewhat opaque book of loans (mostly prime) is worth 0 cents on the dollar. Just look around Reddit and see what people are saying about the banks' financial condition, even though they never read any SEC filings or analyst reports. I think (and apparently Buffett also thinks) that the book is worth something between 0 and 100, likely in the upper end.

With a limited company, you'll have to pay yourself a salary through PAYE. With income from your other job taking you over the higher-rate threshold, you should inform HMRC of this and get a tax code of DO for the second job, meaning 40% tax (and also both employer's and employee's National Insurance) will be deducted from the whole amount of the salary. See here.  Dividends should be like any other dividend -- you won't pay extra tax when you receive them, but will have to declare them on your tax return and pay the tax later. See the official information here. You'll get a £5,000 tax allowance for dividends, but they'll still count as income for purposes of hitting the higher-rate threshold. I think in practice this means the first £5,000 will be tax-free, and the rest will be taxed at 32.5%. But note that you have to pay yourself at least the minimum wage as salary, not as dividend.  I can't see IR35 being an issue.  However, I'm not a professional, and this situation is complicated enough to need professional advice. Talk to an accountant or a tax advisor.


Question: What are useful indexes for rapid evaluation of country investment risk?

Rather than using the Human Development Index or Ease of Doing Business, if you primary purpose is for investments, you need to consider the Country rating provided by various agencies like  These would tell as to how good the country is for investment in general. Just to highlight a difference, China may not fare very high in Human Development Index, however right now from investment point of view its a pretty good market. once you have decided the countries, you can either invest in funds specalizing in these countries or if legally permitted invest directly into the leading stock index in such countries. If your intention is to start a business in these countries, then you need to look at some other indexes. http://www.standardandpoors.com/ratings/articles/en/us/?assetID=1245219962821 http://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/sector/Sector.faces?selectedTab=Overview&Ne=4293330737%2b11&N=0 http://v3.moodys.com/Pages/default.aspx

I'm not a 'rule of thumb' guy, but here, I'd suggest that if you can set aside 10% of your income each year for college, that would be great. That turns out to be $900/mo.  In 15 years, if you saw an 8% CAGR, you'd have $311K which happens to be in your range of expenses. And you'd still have time to go as the baby won't graduate for 22(?) years. (Yup, 10% is a good rule of thumb for your income and 3 kids) Now, on the other hand, I'd research what grants you'd be able to get if you came up short. If instead of saving a dime, you funded your own retirement and the spouse's IRA if she's not working, and time the mortgage to pay it off in 15 years from now, the lack of liquid funds actually runs in your favor. But, I'm not an expect on this, just second guessing my own fully funded college account for my daughter.

"A re-financing, or re-fi, is when a debtor takes out a new loan for the express purpose of paying off an old one. This can be done for several reasons; usually the primary reason is that the terms of the new loan will result in a lower monthly payment. Debt consolidation (taking out one big loan at a relatively low interest rate to pay off the smaller, higher-interest loans that rack up, like credit card debt, medical bills, etc) is a form of refinancing, but you most commonly hear the term when referring to refinancing a home mortgage, as in your example. To answer your questions, most of the money comes from a new bank. That bank understands up front that this is a re-fi and not ""new debt""; the homeowner isn't asking for any additional money, but instead the money they get will pay off outstanding debt. Therefore, the net amount of outstanding debt remains roughly equal. Even then, a re-fi can be difficult for a homeowner to get (at least on terms he'd be willing to take). First off, if the homeowner owes more than the home's worth, a re-fi may not cover the full principal of the existing loan. The bank may reject the homeowner outright as not creditworthy (a new house is a HUGE ding on your credit score, trust me), or the market and the homeowner's credit may prevent the bank offering loan terms that are worth it to the homeowner. The homeowner must often pony up cash up front for the closing costs of this new mortgage, which is money the homeowner hopes to recoup in reduced interest; however, the homeowner may not recover all the closing costs for many years, or ever. To answer the question of why a bank would do this, there are several reasons: The bank offering the re-fi is usually not the bank getting payments for the current mortgage. This new bank wants to take your business away from your current bank, and receive the substantial amount of interest involved over the remaining life of the loan. If you've ever seen a mortgage summary statement, the interest paid over the life of a 30-year loan can easily equal the principal, and often it's more like twice or three times the original amount borrowed. That's attractive to rival banks.  It's in your current bank's best interest to try to keep your business if they know you are shopping for a re-fi, even if that means offering you better terms on your existing loan. Often, the bank is itself ""on the hook"" to its own investors for the money they lent you, and if you pay off early without any penalty, they no longer have your interest payments to cover their own, and they usually can't pay off early (bonds, which are shares of corporate debt, don't really work that way). The better option is to keep those scheduled payments coming to them, even if they lose a little off the top. Often if a homeowner is working with their current bank for a lower payment, no new loan is created, but the terms of the current loan are renegotiated; this is called a ""loan modification"" (especially when the Government is requiring the bank to sit down at the bargaining table), or in some cases a ""streamlining"" (if the bank and borrower are meeting in more amicable circumstances without the Government forcing either one to be there). Historically, the idea of giving a homeowner a break on their contractual obligations would be comical to the bank. In recent times, though, the threat of foreclosure (the bank's primary weapon) doesn't have the same teeth it used to; someone facing 30 years of budget-busting payments, on a house that will never again be worth what he paid for it, would look at foreclosure and even bankruptcy as the better option, as it's theoretically all over and done with in only 7-10 years. With the Government having a vested interest in keeping people in their homes, making whatever payments they can, to keep some measure of confidence in the entire financial system, loan modifications have become much more common, and the banks are usually amicable as they've found very quickly that they're not getting anywhere near the purchase price for these ""toxic assets"". Sometimes, a re-fi actually results in a higher APR, but it's still a better deal for the homeowner because the loan doesn't have other associated costs lumped in, such as mortgage insurance (money the guarantor wants in return for underwriting the loan, which is in turn required by the FDIC to protect the bank in case you default). The homeowner pays less, the bank gets more, everyone's happy (including the guarantor; they don't really want to be underwriting a loan that requires PMI in the first place as it's a significant risk). The U.S. Government is spending a lot of money and putting a lot of pressure on FDIC-insured institutions (including virtually all mortgage lenders) to cut the average Joe a break. Banks get tax breaks when they do loan modifications. The Fed's buying at-risk bond packages backed by distressed mortgages, and where the homeowner hasn't walked away completely they're negotiating mortgage mods directly. All of this can result in the homeowner facing a lienholder that is willing to work with them, if they've held up their end of the contract to date."

"It would appear that you are not actually ""equal"" partners.  You have differently valued interests and those values fluctuate based on individual performance.  The TurboTax advice is simplified for entities that don't track interests relative to partner inputs. IRC § 704(a), partner's distributive share is set by the partnership agreement, and § 704(b), failing an allocation by the agreement it is set by the partner's interest in the partnership.  But note § 704(b)(2), which prevents blatant tax-rigging in the partnership agreement."

Setting up the new company can often be scary, especially if you never run a business or company before. We have the excellent and experienced team of professionals who are very helpful for you with the Free company formation process. We are also proud to maintain that our special personal touch in order to deliver the best service. This is very important to launch and Incorporating your business on the right footing. Your trustworthy relationship with us need not end at the services of the company formation. You also avail many benefits from our company professionals in all matters.

"I realize. I never would claim I did a ... ""triple"" full time (?). I was responding to the comment that any credible university wouldn't let you do more than +1 extra class. Obviously, +1 class in terms of hours is variable since it can range from 3-8 hours at a traditional semester university. Our recommended was something like 18 though the upper limit was 20 IIRC (been awhile)."

"what are the incentives to that person to actually pay off his/her debt as opposed to just walking away from it and relying on the cash (s)he has for the future spending needs as opposed to borrowing Well, you can't just ""walk away"" from debt - you still owe it. Eventually your creditors would end up suing you in court for the money, plus interest owed.  I suppose you could try to continually duck the authorities, but you'd still owe the money legally."

Yes, retail stores will let you use multiple cards to make a purchase. Just be sure to know the exact balance on each one and tell the cashier how much you'd like to put on each card. If you don't know the balance and try to charge more than what is available, your card will be declined.


Question: Debit cards as bad as credit cards?

"It's a real pain in the rear to get cash only from a bank teller (the end result of cutting the card as suggested). There is a self control issue here that, like weight loss, should ultimately be addressed for a psychologically healthy lifestyle. You don't mention a budget here. A budget is one of the first tools necessary for setting spending limits. Categorizing your money into inviolable categories, such as:  will force you to look at any purchase in context of your other needs and goals. Note that savings is at the top of the list, supporting the aphorism to, ""Pay yourself first."" Make realistic allowances for each budget category, then force yourself to stick to this budget by whatever means necessary. Cash in several envelopes labeled with each category can physically reinforce your priorities (the debit card is usually left at home for now).  Roll remaining funds from each month over into the next month to cover irregular larger expenses, such as auto repairs.  What sort of investing are we talking about? If you are just talking about retirement savings, an automatic deduction of just $50 to a Roth IRA account at a discount brokerage every pay check is a good start. An emergency fund of 6 months expenses is also common financial advice, and can likewise be built from small automatic deductions. In defense of wise use of plastic, a debit card can be a great retroactive budgeting tool because it records all spending for you. It takes a lot more effort to save and enter receipts for cash, and a compulsive spender without a budget is just as likely to run out of money whether or not he uses plastic. You could keep receipts in the envelope you take the cash out of when you're getting started. If you are so addicted to spending that you must cut your debit card to enforce your budget, at least consider this a temporary measure to get yourself under control. When the bank issues you a new card, re-evaluate this decision and the self control measures you've implemented to see if you've grown enough to keep the card."

And remember, there's nobody but you that can do it - so the most important tool here is your determination and persistence.

Prison in the US has nothing to do with an economic context. White collar crimes will always be sentenced less harshly than violent crimes.  I don't expect to see Madoff on the street anytime soon. So the original premise doesn't hold across the board.  The system is fucked up though. What can you do. People like Corzine are ingrained in our government and financial institutions.

The problem is that's all Chipotle has going for it... a big ass burrito with a handful of toppings. Once you eat there twice you've pretty much had all Chipotle has to offer unless you'd like to try a burrito in a bowl. Not exactly a well thought out menu. I don't see Chipotle standing the test of time unless they expand their menu and market. It's just boring after a couple times. You get way too much food also so any claim to being healthy is BS.

The hell are you talking about? Yahoo doesn't own Alibaba. They owned a stake in the company they got in 2005, long before Mayer had anything to do with the company. Mayer sold off $7B of this stake in 2012, and kept ~$1.3B of that to finance more idiotic acquisitions where she'd overspend and then lay off all the staff and shut down the products she bought.

"The problem is that an injunction is like carpet-bombing.   ~~If~~ When various manufacturing industries try to use the law to protect their profits, I think what we'll see is alternate production streams pop up. If GE gets freaky about washing machine motors being produced by local 3D Printers, then hello ""make your own washing machine"" kits for 1/4 the price.   A wise manufacturing company would embrace the cottage industry - essentially make them outsourced (side-sourced?) support & repair. Then try to grab market share by making that a feature.   Adapt & survive. The painful part is that massive corporations can trundle along with poisoned business plans killing them from the inside out for *decades*"

The way the world gained all its wealth is by innovation driven by the pursuit of profit/higher standard of living. If you remove that incentive then we will no longer keep progressing. That's why socialism always fails - you eventually run out of other people's money and innovation halts.

Why has no one reported on the declining market share of whole foods? Walmart was able to strategically target their customer and go after them. You'll never hear Walmart say this, but I secretly think they are celebrating this acquisition.


Question: If a company goes private, does it still count as a capital gain/loss?

does it still count as a capital gain or loss? Yes. Is it essentially treated like you sold the stock at the price of the buy-out?  Yes. Do you still get a 1099-B from your broker? Yes.

This guy is literally proposing a bucket shop. Trades against customers and copy their trades. No centralized clearing (it's not executing trades at all). And he thinks these are good things that customers should get him for.  Scam. And a very old one at that.

As a lefty --- get a life and your own opinion, or let other people backed by corporations that you oppose tell you what to think.   This guy is the guy that stole $500 and we let him until we needed him to get caught. And the people that bought CDs from a bank on a shady fucking island, yeah, they were stupid. Caveat emptor.

"Don't forget they're trying to rip that fabric of society away from everyone else. They demand their social security, but fight tooth and nail to take food stamps away from others. They had quality K-12 and nearly free higher education, but do everything they can to cut spending on education, cut teacher pay, etc. They have Medicare but want to take any kind of healthcare safety net away from everyone else. And then they blame the young for not buying enough houses and ""wrecking"" the economy."

Search Engine Marketing (SEM poco chiamato come) comprende anche campagne pubblicitarie a pagamento come Google ad-parole, la costruzione del marchio, banner, viral marketing e anche alcune altre campagne gratuite come l'email marketing e Social Media Optimization (SMO chiamato come poco). Il motore di ricerca di marketing on-line dà risultati più rapidi rispetto al Search Engine Optimization.

"Your 401K (and IRA) is a legally distinct entity from yourself. In fact, it is a ""trust,"" and your Administrator is a ""trustee,"" while you are both creator and benefactor. This fact, and the 10% early withdrawal penalty, makes it immune from most judgments. The IRS can ""levy"" your 401K or IRA for back taxes, but must waive the 10% penalty (under the 1997 Tax Reform law). That gives them the power to do what most others can't. A ""tricky"" banker may persuade you to take money out of your 401K to pay the bank. If you do, s/he has won. But s/he can't go after your 401k."

The buying service your credit union uses is similar to the one my credit union uses. I have used their service several times. There is no direct cost to use the service, though the credit union as a whole might have a fee to join the service. I have used it 4 times over the decades. If you know what make and model you want to purchase, or at least have it narrowed down to just a few choices, you can get an exact price for that make, model, and options. You do this before negotiating a price. You are then issued a certificate. You have to go to a specific salesman at a specific dealership, but near a large city there will be several dealers to pick from.  There is no negotiating at the dealership. You still have to deal with a trade in, and the financing option: dealer, credit union, or cash. But it is nice to not have to negotiate on the price. Of course there is nobody to stop you from using the price from the buying service as a goal when visiting a more conveniently located dealership, that is what I did last time. The first couple of times I used the standard credit union financing, and the last time I didn't need a loan. Even if you don't use the buying service, one way to pay for the car is to get the loan from the credit union, but get the rebate from the dealer. Many times if you get the low dealer financing you can't get the rebate. Doing it this way actually saves money. Speaking of rebates see how the buying service addresses them. The big national rebates  were still honored during at least one of my purchases. So it turned out to be the buying service price minus $1,000. If your service worked like my experience, the cost to you was a little time to get the price, and a little time in a different dealer to verify that the price was good.

People typically present themselves to be as wealthy as possible to banks and as poor as possible to the government at tax time.  Gross income is really the most reliable number for most folks. Your and your employer are required by law to report an accurate gross income figure annually. Anything else is totally situational.  All they are doing anyway is computing your total debt-to-income ratio and mortgage-to-income ratio. The government agencies that buy mortgages, the big bank that buys the mortgage or the self-underwriting bank has differing standards for different products.


Question: What does pink-sheet mean related to stocks?

It's an over-the-counter stock quote system. Read all about it. Or visit it.

You're asking for a LOT. I mean, entire lives and volumes upon volumes of information is out there.  I'd recommend Benjamin Graham for finance concepts (might be a little bit dry...), *A Random Walk Down Wall Street,* by Burton Malkiel and *A Concise Guide to Macro Economics* by David Moss.

"Good debt and ""Bad debt"" are just judgement calls.  Each person has their own opinion on when it is acceptable to borrow money for something, and when it is not.  For some, it is never acceptable to borrow money for something; they won't even borrow money to buy a house.  Others, of course, are in debt up to their eyeballs. All debt costs money in interest.  So when evaluating whether to borrow or not, you need to ask yourself, ""Is the benefit I am getting by borrowing this money worth the cost?"" Home ownership has a lot of advantages: For many, these advantages, coupled with the facts that home mortgages are available at extremely low interest rates and that home mortgage interest is tax-deductible (in the U.S.), make home mortgages ""worth it"" in the eyes of many. Contrast that with car ownership: For these reasons, there are many people who consider the idea of borrowing money to purchase a car a bad idea.  I have written an answer on another question which outlines a few reasons why it is better to pay cash for a car."

"From further in:   >Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.    and    >The last Star Wars movie release was 2005's Revenge of the Sith – and we believe there's substantial pent up demand. In 2015, we're planning to release Star Wars Episode 7 – the first feature film under the ""Disney-Lucasfilm"" brand. That will be followed by Episodes 8 and 9 – and our long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years. We're very happy that George Lucas will be creative consultant on our new Star Wars films and that Kathleen Kennedy, the current Co-Chair of Lucasfilm, will executive produce. George handpicked Kathy earlier this year to lead Lucasfilm into the future. She'll join Disney as President of Lucasfilm, reporting into Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn and integrating and building the Star Wars franchise across our company."

"Taken from a website that believes ""CO2 is a product of human breath and is plant food, NOT a pollutant."" (literally the subtitle to the entire website).    Oh, look! There goes all its credibility.   [Their justifications](https://defyccc.com/debate-about-brief-sos/#more-2768) to that logic are even worse. They are logic-resistant.   EDIT: Please no more posts from that looney bin. For a moment, I thought I was visiting a satire website, turns out they're just that crazy."

The fact that you are planning to move abroad does not affect the decision to contribute to a 401(k). The reason for this is that after you leave your employer, you can roll all the money over from your 401(k) into a self-directed traditional IRA. That money can stay invested until retirement, and it doesn't matter where you are living before or after retirement age.  So, when deciding whether or not to use a 401(k), you need to look at the details of your employer's plan: Does your employer offer a match? If so, you should definitely take advantage of it.  Are there good investments available inside the 401(k)? Some plans offer very limited options. If you can't find anything good to invest in, you don't want to contribute anything beyond the match; instead, contribute to an IRA, where you can invest in a fund that you like.  The other reason to use a 401(k) is that the contribution limits can be higher. If you want to invest more than you are allowed to in an IRA, the 401(k) might allow that.  In your case, since there is no match, it is up to you whether you want to participate or not. An IRA will allow more flexibility in investing options. If you need to invest more than your IRA limit, the 401(k) might allow that. When you leave your employer, you should probably roll any 401(k) money into an IRA.

Some credit checks are ignored as part of the scoring process. Some companies will pull your info, to make sure you haven't become a risk. Others will inquire before they send you an offer. Since you didn't initiate the inquiry it can't impact your score.

"You ask two questions - First - the market value can drop for two reasons (that I know), the company itself may have issues, and investors don't trust they'll be paid, or a general rise in interest rates. In the latter case, there's little to worry about, but for the former, well, that's your decision, you say ""the company is in trouble"" yet you believe they'll pay. Tough call. Second - yes, when a bond matures, the money appears in your account."


Question: How can a 'saver' maintain or increase wealth in low interest rate economy?

"Since the other answers have covered mutual funds/ETFs/stocks/combination, some other alternatives I like - though like everything else, they involve risk: Example of how these other ""saving methods"" can be quite effective: about ten years ago, I bought a 25lb bag of quinoa at $19 a bag.  At the same company, quinoa is now over $132 for a 25lb bag (590%+ increase vs. the S&P 500s 73%+ increase over the same time period).  Who knows what it will cost in ten years.  Either way, working directly with the farmers, or planting it myself, may become even cheaper in the future, plus learning how to keep and store the seeds for the next season."

"The forms are almost identical, just formatted slightly differently. I just compared an old copy of an R form with the current one without the R. I don't know why they removed the R. In any case, I filed my biannual this year on llc-12, no ""r"", and no issues."

Greek bank deposits are backed by the Greek government and by the European Central Bank. So in order to lose money under the insurance limits of 100k euros the ECB would need to fail in which case deposit insurance would be the least of most peoples worries. On the other hand I have no idea how easy or hard it is to get to money from a failed bank in Greece. In the US FDIC insurance will usually have your money available in a couple of days. If there isn't a compelling reason to keep the money in a Greek bank I wouldn't do it.

I heard from someone that since my friends are moving money to my account, I'm liable to be taxed by the IRS  Not completely true. If there are large deposits in your account, you may be asked for clarification from IRS. If there is a reasonable justification; in your case the agreement that you are sharing the apartment, the lease deed has all the 3 names, there is explicit mention in lease about how funds are transferred. Note at times the audit maybe in future for quite a bit of past. Hence you would need to keep the record for quite some time. Alternative arrangements like opening a joint account and making payments from that account may make it easier from record keeping point of view.

Nothing happens. A bank is a business; your relationship with the bank doesn't change because your visa or immigration status changes. Money held in the account is still held in the account. Interest paid on the account is still taxable. And so on. If the account is inactive long enough, abandoned account rules may apply, but that still has nothing to do with your status.

You do actually have some profits (whatever is left from donations). The way it goes is that you report everything on your Schedule C. You will report this: Your gross profits will then flow to Net Profit (line 31) since you had no other expenses (unless you had some other expenses, like paypal fees, which will appear in the relevant category in part II), and from line 31 it will go to your 1040 for the final tax calculation.

I bet the poor pay more of their family income on food and rent too! Injustice!  What was the point of this? We were talking about net taxation, not some ratio of gross income on a per family basis. The bottom 40% of American are net beneficiaries of taxes anyway.

This shows the impact of the inquiries. It's from Credit Karma, and reflects my inquiries over the past two years. In my case, I refinanced 2 properties and the hit is after this fact, so my score at 766 is lower than when approved. You can go to Credit Karma and see how your score was impacted. If in fact the first inquiry did this, you have cause for action. In court, you get more attention by having sufficient specific data to support your claim, including your exact damages.


Question: Why are wire transfers and other financial services in Canada so much more expensive than in Europe?

I don't believe there is any particular structural or financial reason that outgoing wire transfers cost so much in Canada, their costs are no higher than other countries (and lower than many).  Wires seem to be an area where the Canadian banks have decided people don't comparison shop, so it's not a competitive advantage to offer a better price. The rates you quoted are on the low side: $80 for a largish international wire is not unusual, and HSBC charges up to $150! There are several alternative ways to transfer money domestically in Canada. If the recipient banks at the same bank, it's possible to go into a branch and transfer money directly from your own account to their account (I've never been charged for this).  The transfer is immediate.  But it couldn't be done online, last time I checked. For transfers where you don't know the recipients bank account, you can pay online with Interac E-Transfers, offered by most Canadian banks.  It's basically e-mailing money.  It usually costs $1 to $1.50 per transfer, and has limits on how much you can send per day/week. Each of the banks also have a bill-pay service, but unlike similar services in the US (where they mail a paper check if the recipient isn't on their system), each Canadian bank has a limited number of possible payees (mostly utilities, governments, major stores).

Siri isn't all that bad in my opinion and works well for what I need it to do. Maps, on the other hand, is complete garbage. It usually gets me to where I need to go, but feels very clumsy and uses tons of battery. The complete lack of data is another turnoff. Personally, I'd say that whoever decided to nix the Google Maps app is the bigger idiot. All that really needed to be done was integrate the turn by turn directions (rather than watching a tiny dot moving around).

I think people are tiring of the 200 TV mega chain bars and prefer something a bit smaller and locally owned. I know I do, and it seems the sales trends back that up. Locally owned non-chain restaurants (mom and pops) are doing well right now.

1768? 1868? 1968?   Actually, the last time France stood up to the USA or UK was during the De Gaulle government, and his government was nearly toppled by the May '68 Paris uprising. Around 1972, pretty much every one in Europe is under US economic and political hegemony.

That doesn't explains the decade in between, the revenue sharing agreement and lawsuit, the competition before the IPO etc.  They didn't have the lawsuit and final split because one branch wanted an IPO, they had it because of the revenue sharing agreement pissing off the consulting partners.  Accenture does compete with the Big 4 in the consulting space, especially Deloitte and EY. Why do you think otherwise?

I would like to see what they propose as far as taxing dividends, capital gains, inheritance and other sources of financial gain that the wealthy seem to rely on far more than this 'income' thing. Income is for us hoi polloi.

Absolutely. The overhead for a product based business like that is particularly high. Service based businesses tend to have much better profit margins. But if she was running a plant nursery she has to pay huge heating costs, renting the area she operates in, not to mention inventory and employees. That $300k vanishes pretty fast. This article talking about disappearing middle class is a bad argument. This sounds much more about how the recession hurts a small business. Assuming of course it is the recession. I know a coffee shop near me that isn't doing that great and says the economy is hurting them bad. They apparently don't realize that being blatantly rude to their customers drives them away. There are often other sides to the story besides the economy, whether the fault of the business owner or some other factor outside their control that may not be covered in these kinds of posts.

"Check out Professor Damodaran's website: http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/ . Tons of good stuff there to get you started. If you want more depth, he's written what is widely considered the bible on the subject of valuation: ""Investment Valuation"". DCF is very well suited to stock analysis. One doesn't need to know, or forecast the future stock price to use it. In fact, it's the opposite. Business fundamentals are forecasted to estimate the sum total of future cash flows from the company, discounted back to the present. Divide that by shares outstanding, and you have the value of the stock. The key is to remember that DCF calculations are very sensitive to inputs. Be conservative in your estimates of future revenue growth, earnings margins, and capital investment. I usually develop three forecasts: pessimistic, neutral, optimistic. This delivers a range of value instead of a false-precision single number. This may seem odd: I find the DCF invaluable, but for the process, not so much the result. The input sensitivity requires careful work, and while a range of value is useful, the real benefit comes from being required to answer the questions to build the forecast. It provides a framework to analyze a business. You're just trying to properly fill in the boxes, estimate the unguessable. To do so, you pore through the financials. Skimming, reading with a purpose. In the end you come away with a fairly deep understanding of the business, how they make money, why they'll continue to make money, etc."


Question: When you're really young and have about 2K to start investing $ for retirement, why do some people advise you to go risky?

"Why it is good to be risky The reason why it is good to be risky is because risky investments can result in higher returns on your money. The problem with being risky, is there is a chance you can lose money. However, in the long term you can usually benefit from higher returns even if you have a few slip ups. Let me show you an example:  These two lines are based off of placing $2,000 in a retirement fund at age of 20 and then at age of 25 start investing $6,500 a year (based off of a salary of $65,000 with a company that will 1 to 1 match up to 5% IRA contribution, presumably someone with a Master's should be able to get this) and then being able to increase your contribution amount by $150 a year as your salary begins to increase as well. The blue line assumes that all of this money that you are putting in a retirement account has a fixed 3% interest (compounded yearly for simplicity sake) every year until you retire. The red line is earning a 12% interest rate while you are 20 years old and then decreasing by 0.5% per year until you retire. Since this is using more risky investments when you are younger, I have even gone ahead and included losing 20% of your money when you are 24, another 20% when you are 29, and then again another 20% when you are 34. As you can see, even with losing 20% of your money 3 different times, you still end up with more money then you would have had if you stuck with a more conservative investment plan. If I change this to 50% each 3 times, you will still come out about equal to a more conservative investment. Now, I do have these 3 loses placed at a younger age when there is less to lose, but this is to be expected since you are being more risky when you are young. When you are closer to retirement you have less of a chance of losing money since you will be investing more conservatively. Why it is OK to be risky when you are young but not old Lets say you loose 20% of your $2,000 when you are young, you have 30-40 years to make that back. That's roughly $1 a month extra that you are having to come up with. So, if you have a risky investment go bad when you are young, you have plenty of time to account for it before you retire.  Now lets say you have $1,000,000 when you are 5 years from retiring and loose 20% of it, you have to come up with an extra $3,333 a month if you want to retire on time. So, if you have a risky investment go bad when you are close to retiring, you will most likely have to work for many more years just to be able to recover from your loses. What to invest in This is a little bit more difficult question to answer. If there was one ""right"" way to invest your money, every one would be doing that one ""right"" way and would result in it not turning out to be that good of investment. What you need to do is come up with a plan for yourself. My biggest advice that I can give is to be careful with fees. Some places will charge a fixed dollar amount per trade, while others might charge a fixed dollar amount per month, while even others might charge a percentage of your investment. With only having $2,000 to invest, a large fee might make it difficult to make money."

A reason not to split your stock is that the value of the company might fall back again, and if its stock price falls below $1 it will be delisted from the NYSE. So if the value of your company grows tenfold so the shares go from $5 to $50, you do a ten-for-one split, and then its value shrinks back to where it started, you're off the stock exchange.

"You'd have to look at the terms of the loan to be sure, but if the interest compounds weekly then you'd have to calculate the effect of 3 compounding periods, then compute for weekly payments. The balance after 3 weeks would be: Using Excel's PMT function for that principal balance, I get a weekly payment of $189.48.   If the interest doesn't compound, the principal balance will be about $8888.37 and the weekly payment would be $189.85. Note, however, that the terms of the loan could be completely customized, so you'd need to be sure that the payment and the amortization schedule make sense to you before you agree to the loan.  Since the interest is very high, I suspect this is a ""no credit needed"" car loan which are notorious for unfavorable (to the borrower) terms."

"That's just it......the ""going rate"" is inflated. All ""piracy"" is is a market correction. If you have a product that is easily copied, easily stored, easily duplicated, and easily distributed for next to no cost your products value is essentially zero.   But this doesn't mean they cannot make money off of it. Like TV, where the shows are worth nothing, but the eyes that watch it are they can leverage media in other way. It's just the media industries CHOOSE not to."

Idk man ties with no sport coat/blazer scream salesman to me. Just get a good fit going and you'll be fine.  Unless you're planning to wear a sports coat as well, which in that case go nuts lol

Building your credit takes time.  The basic idea is pay bills on time, and keep the available credit high.    So you spend between 10-30% on the card and pay off in full each month.  If you have student loans, once you start paying on those, that will help too, after you get some payment history, but again, it will take time.

"I worked for a large well known corporation as a senior programmer, and was in charge of interviewing programmers. This is in NYC. Out of 50 pre-screened candidates we hired 2. Half of the candidates can't answer the simplest questions like ""write a function to reverse a string"", which every first year Comp Science student should be able to do.  And our salaries were good, not $60K.  So yes, even in NYC there's not enough talent."

"Ditto @GradeEhBacon, but let me add a couple of comments: But more relevantly: GradeEhBacon mentioned transaction costs. Yes. Many tax shelters require setting up accounts, doing paperwork, etc. Often you have to get a lawyer or accountant to do this right. If the tax shelter could save you $1 million a year in taxes, it makes sense to pay a lawyer $10,000 to set it up right. If it could save you $100 a year in taxes, paying $10,000 to set it up would be foolish. In some cases the tax savings would be so small that it wouldn't be worth the investment of spending $20 on a FedEx package to ship the paperwork. Inconvenience. Arguably this is a special case of transaction costs: the cost of your time. Suppose I knew that a certain tax shelter would save me $100 a year in taxes, but it would take me 20 hours a year to do the paperwork or whatever to manage it. I probably wouldn't bother, because my free time is worth more than $5 an hour to me. If the payoff was bigger or if I was poorer, I might be willing. Complexity. Perhaps a special case of 3. If the rules to manage the tax shelter are complicated, it may not be worth the trouble. You have to spend a bunch of time, and if you do it wrong, you may get audited and slapped with fines and penalties. Even if you do it right, a shelter might increase your chance of being audited, and thus create uncertainty and anxiety. I've never intentionally cheated on my taxes, but every year when I do my taxes I worry, What if I make an honest mistake but the government decides that it's attempted fraud and nails me to the wall? Qualification. Again, as others have noted, tax shelters aren't generally, ""if you fill out this form and check box (d) you get 50% off on your taxes"". The shelters exist because the government decided that it would be unfair to impose taxes in this particular situation, or that giving a tax break encourages investment, or some other worthy goal. (Sometimes that worthy goal is ""pay off my campaign contributors"", but that's another subject.) The rules may have unintended loopholes, but any truly gaping ones tend to get plugged. So if, say, they say that you get a special tax break for investing in medical research, you can't just declare that your cigarette and whiskey purchases are medical research and claim the tax break. Or you talked about off-shore tax havens. The idea here is that the US government cannot tax income earned in another country and that has never even entered the US. If you make $10 in France and deposit it in a French bank account and spend it in France, the US can't tax that. So American companies sometimes set up bank accounts outside the US to hold income earned outside the US, so they don't have to bring it into the US and pay the high US tax rate. (US corporate taxes are now the highest of any industrialized country.) You could, I suppose, open an account in the Caymans and deposit the income you earned from your US job there. But if the money was earned in the US, working at a factory or office in the US,  by a person living in the US, the IRS is not going to accept that this is foreign income."


Question: How to Buy “Exotic” Bonds as a Low Net Worth Individual?

"There are discount brokers which charge lower fees, which ones are accessible to you will depend on your country. Here's a list for the USA: https://the-international-investor.com/comparison-tables/online-discount-stock-brokers-comparison-table But seriously, as a ""low net worth individual"", the last thing you should be doing is gamble away that money - and that's what buying junk bonds is: gambling, not investing. They're called ""junk bonds"" for a reason, namely that the well-considered opinion of most investors is that there is a high probability of the issuer defaulting on them, which means that the invested money is lost."

"This would inevitably lead to a few gatekeepers from which everyone trusts the bonds (ibm GE etc), and millions of small businesses which will have absolutely no access to capital. Once this happens, you will quickly end up with a shadow banking system, where companies like GE switch from making stuff to basically being banks, giving loans to other small businesses with no access to capital, etc.   This is basically done in China in a slightly different way, but, the core state-owned enterprises have near unlimited access to capital, and they use this advantage to invest in, and buy up, any and all interesting companies, simply because they're the only organizations that can essentially ""print"" money. (Whether you agree with it being printing money or not, the fact is GE / IBM would be able to issue bonds almost whenever they want, similar to the Treasury's monthly bond auctions, and other firms simply unable to.)   So... then you have a few key companies with nearly unlimited right to ""print"" (used loosely) cash. They use this advantage to push on other businesses, buy them up, or control them in many ways. And then they use this position to eventually take over anything that looks interesting.   What you're imagining as being an open market where everyone's bonds have full information will quickly devolve into information overload, and people choosing the well known brands as their trusted source. Once that happens, the whole idea falls apart, and those few firms will find a way to control not only the money supply, but also who gets to use their money.   You will also have situations where some mom-and-pop takes John-LLC bonds as payment for dinner, and when they try to give John-LLC bonds to their suppliers, their suppliers say 'no thanks, we only deal in IBM bonds.""   Mom-and-pop will find themselves stuck with paper that nobody wants to accept. And mom-and-pop will quickly find themselves in a cash flow crisis, as they have tons of paper, but none of their suppliers will accept that paper.   The only way to get out of this situation would be to convince IBM or GE to give Mom-and-pop some GE bonds in exchange for the John-LLC they have that nobody will accept. Of course, GE and IBM being in the enviable position as some of the few trusted money printers can refuse to accept John-LLC bonds except at a severe discount. ""We know John gave you John-LLC bonds to pay for his dinner worth $100, but, we'll only give you $40 worth of GE bonds for it.""  Mom-and-pop will quickly be fucked and go out of business due to having no ""hard currency"" (aka trusted currency) that they can use to purchase their raw materials.  Demand for GE bonds will skyrocket as everyone seeks a safe-haven (a trusted currency almost everyone will accept), adn GE will find the entire market begging them to print bonds even at no interest just so that the money supply can increase to hold the full amount of trade occurring in the territory.   This is then no different from the Fed during the recession a few years ago (and up until now) where they sell tons of bonds at rock-bottom interest rates simly because all the world is looking for a safe place to put their cash.   The difference, of course, is that GE / IBM can take all this money and issue themselves HUGE bonuses, either on the cash directly or on the profit they've amassed by being the only trusted money issuer, whereas government officials can not."

>[**Как быстро заработать 100 руб в интернете? Способ пассивного заработка в сети. Хайпы, которые платят [2:47]**](http://youtu.be/7lbDnWEDbWo)  >>Друзья, в этом видео, вы узнаете, какие проекты в скаме а какие платят. Так же, есть проект, в котором можно заработать без вложений  > [*^Финансовый ^Вектор*](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOABF2yT1SjVqI7RK9aIUg) ^in ^People ^& ^Blogs  >*^13 ^views ^since ^Oct ^2017*  [^bot ^info](/r/youtubefactsbot/wiki/index)

In the last 15 years, some poor arab gets his house blown up with billions of dollars worth of arms, some poor US taxpayer foots the bill and the cooperation make the money.  The arab house no house, the US tax payer has no saving and lives poor.  Some CEO buys a private island with his bones.  Meanwhile the rest of us is looking for happiness

Major in CS.  I'm 26 with a BS in Finance (with Accounting minor). I wish I went with a CS back in the day, but oh well. I'm learning programming and computer science on my own now while I work full-time. Fortunately, I'm well on my way towards a strong IT career since I work in business intelligence and big data. It can be a grind while working full-time though.  Don't think you are not good at science classes. I used to think the same. They're not easy, which means you will just have to read and study more and better. Keep at it, develop leadership skills and organize study groups, meet with your professors and TAs if you must. Don't be afraid to ask questions, ever.  Also consider getting a minor in something. It'll be harder but usually well worth it. Pick a minor in a field you find interesting. Every field and industry needs CS majors and you will make yourself that much more valuable. A major in CS with a minor in finance would make you look badass. But don't go with finance though, I suggest a science (any bio, physics or chemistry is good). You'll end up with a nice paying job. I consider my CS skills beginner, but I'm above average compared to the general population and already get paid very well.

BigBOX specialty stores can't compete with Walmart and Walmart can't compete with Amazon and Amazon won't be able to compete with China's Alibaba and Alibaba Express. Let Walmart and Amazon fold and you will see the rise of the independent retailers... we have to start producing our own products and taxing Chinese imports to level the playing field for American businesses. This is one MONOPOLY everyone in congress seems to NOT  recognize.

Did you read [Hachette Book's response to Amazon?](http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2014/hachette-ceos-response-to-amazon-advocate-emails-why-we-price-books-the-way-we-do/). Hachette books is **not** arguing that their ebooks should be the same price as the print versions. That's an outright fabrication on Amazon's part.  [Amazon is responsible for 65% of new online book sales, and 41% of *all* new book sales](http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/62520-bea-2014-can-anyone-compete-with-amazon.html#path/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/62520-bea-2014-can-anyone-compete-with-amazon.html) (that's both print books *and* ebooks). I never said Amazon had a *monopoly*, but by refusing to sell any of Hachette's books, they are literally depriving that company of roughly ~~half~~ 2/5 of it's new book revenue.

"I have personally invested $5,000 in a YieldStreet offering (a loan being used by a company looking to expand a ridesharing fleet), and would certainly recommend taking a closer look if they fit your investment goals and risk profile. (Here's a more detailed review I wrote on my website.) YieldStreet is among a growing crop of companies launched as a result of legislative and regulatory changes that began with the JOBS Act in 2012 (that's a summary from my website that I wrote after my own efforts to parse the new rules) but didn't fully go into effect until last year. Most of them are in Real Estate or Angel/Venture, so YieldStreet is clearly looking to carve out a niche by assembling a rather diverse collection of offerings (including Real Estate, but also other many other categories). Unlike angel/venture platforms (and more like the Real Estate platforms), YieldStreet only offers secured (asset-backed) investments, so in theory there's less risk of loss of principal (though in practice, these platforms haven't been through a serious stress test). So far I've stuck with relatively short-term investments on the debt crowdfunding platforms (including YieldStreet), and at least for the one I chose, it includes monthly payments of both principal and interest, so you're ""taking money off the table"" right away (though presumably then are faced with how to redeploy, which is another matter altogether!) My advice is to start small while you acclimate to the various platforms and investment options. I know I was overwhelmed when I first decided to try one out, and the way I got over that was to decide on the maximum I was willing to lose entirely, and then focus on finding the first opportunity that looked reasonable and would maximize what I could learn (in my case it was a $1,000 in a fix-and-flip loan deal via PeerStreet)."


Question: Company is late in paying my corporate credit card statement - will it hurt my credit?

"According to an article on Bankrate.com from 2011, yes, it can hurt your credit: With individual liability accounts, the employee holds all responsibility for the charges, even if the company pays the issuer directly. Joint liability means the company and employee share the responsibility for payments, says Mahendra Gupta, author of the RPMG survey. In both cases, if the card isn't paid and the account becomes delinquent, it will pop up on the employee's credit report and dent his or her credit score, says Barry Paperno, consumer affairs manager at myFICO.com. It doesn't matter if the company was supposed to make the payment; the repercussions fall on the employee. ""It will impact your score no differently than if you were late on one of your own accounts,"" Paperno says. Usually, with corporate credit cards, the employee is liable along with the employer for charges on the card.  The intent is to provide the employee with an incentive not to misuse the card.  However, this can be a problem if your company is late in paying bills. In the distant past, I had a corporate credit card.  I was not supposed to have to pay the bill, but I did receive a bill in the mail every month.  And occasionally, the payment was late.  In my case, these late payments never showed up on my credit report.  I can't remember now whether or not this card was reported on my credit report at all.  And I remember being told when I got the card that I was jointly responsible for the card with the company. However, your experience may be different.  Do the on-time payments show up on your credit report?  If so, that may be an indication that a late payment might appear."

YSK that unless you live in a very low cost of living area, you took an extremely underpaid position out of college, and have kind of fucked yourself in the face.  Source: I'm a senior software engineer with a computer science degree.

"Company values (and thus stock prices) rely on a much larger time frame than ""a weekend"".  First, markets are not efficient enough to know what a companies sales were over the past 2-3 days (many companies do not even know that for several weeks).  They look at performance over quarters and years to determine the ""value"" of a company.  They also look forward, not backwards to determine value.  Prior performance only gives a hint of what future performance may be.  If a company shut its doors over a weekend and did no sales, it still would have value based on its future ability to earn profits."

"I am not saying it is fair, or that only they get to say ""this sucks"" I am saying that you should not be envious of them.    Also, try to remember that the programs like the one they made use of don't just help that family.  Foreclosures drive down property values.  Sure it sucks to see them basically get rewarded for an. . . . optimistic gamble shall we say. . . but they are not the only ones that benefited.  Their neighbors, some of whom likely are honest people who took a cautious path to home ownership, now will not have their homes decrease in value due to sister.  She gets an unfair reward, but it also helps avoid her neighbors getting unfairly dinged.  Not to mention that it is safer to have homes occupied, and they tend to be less likely to fall into disrepair.       Also,  try to remember that every house that does go back to the bank means one more family of renters.  Banks tend to sit on homes, often for way way longer than they should, leaving that house empty, while the former tenants try to rent.  Pour more renters into the pool while banks sit on unsold vacant homes and landlords can be more picky and charge more for rent.   But in the end. . . .man your rent sucks."

It appears to me that the tax code gives significant advantages to being a corporation as opposed to being a person due to the relative ease of legal tax avoidance.   As an individual, avoiding taxes is much harder than it is for a corporation.   I mean, why can't I claim my deficit last year as an operating loss and use it to offset my taxes?  I mean suppose I had to borrow money to afford food, that's pretty vital to my business (staying alive) operations. Why can't I offset my income with my borrowing like a corporation can?

"I've tried a lot of tablets and the PlayBook is the best one out there and the sale is a fantastic deal. The hardware and OS kick the ass of Android and Apple. Better cameras, better photos, better sound, better multitasking, better form factor.  I loved the Torch more than any iPhone. The hardware was great and OS was decent. BBOS 10, if like the PlayBook OS as planned, would be better than the other phones out there.  This isn't an error by RIM. It's fashion. Blackberries fell out of fashion. People don't buy based on good planning. They buy on branding and trend, and rationalize on the back end. The evidence for this behaviour is documented over and over and over.  All RIM can do is try to become fashionable again. But fashion trends are random walks that require ""tipping points"" or critical mass. You can't really plan one. You just have to recognize them and jump on board.  I suspect RIM will get bought out, or become a niche seller again. Wonderful. I'll take their top notch hardware and software at firesale prices while others get trendy but worse systems for more money."

I'm a 911 paramedic that brings in patients to ERs all the time. I've never brought a patient to an ER that wasn't staffed by an adequate number of doctors.  trauma centers are held to an even higher standard. The hospital group has too much to lose if they lose that trauma 1 or trauma 2 rating. They will always maintain adequate required staffing.

"The golden rule is ""Pay yourself first."" This means that you should have some form of savings plan set up, preferably a monthly automatic withdrawal that comes out the day after your pay is deposited. 10% is a reasonable number to start with. You are in a wonderful situation because you are thinking about this 10-15 years before most of us do.  Use this to your advantage. You are also in a good situation if you can defer the purchase of the house (assuming prices don't rise drastically in the next few years -- which they might.)  If your home situation is acceptable, then sit down with the parents and present a plan.  Something along the lines of:  I'd like to move out and start my   life.  However, it would be   advantageous to stay here for a few   years to build up a down payment and   reserve.  I'm happy to help out with   expenses, but do need a couple years   of rent-free support to get started. Then go into monk mode for one year.  It's doable, and you can save a lot of cash. Then you're on the road to freedom."