The seemingly obvious answer is we pay taxes to help fund the government so it can pay for government services. That is correct when it comes to state and local governments as well as for the federal governments of countries that don’t issue their own currency. For countries like the U.S., Japan and the U.K. which issue their own currency the question of why we pay taxes is a little more complicated. Photo by Joanna Kosinska Government Spending Is Digital When the federal government … [Read more...]
156 Plus: Early Retirement, Income Portfolios and Taxes
This week May 6, 2017 on Money For the Rest of Us Plus we profile a member who is contemplating early retirement and discuss whether he has enough assets. We discuss the use of income portfolios in retirement Finally, we develop a rule of thumb for whether an investor should sell an investment and take the tax hit versus continuing to hold the investment to defer taxes. … [Read more...]
154: Do Homeowner Tax Breaks Cause Homelessness?
How a transitioning economy, government regulation and tax policy have contributed to stagnating wages, rising housing costs, and homelessness. Photo by Mike Gabelmann In this episode you'll learn: How many people are homeless in the U.S. What is moral hazard. To what extent has household income stagnated while home prices have risen. What contributes to rising home prices. What low income housing programs are available and how much is spent on them versus tax breaks … [Read more...]
153: Will Social Security Go Bankrupt?
Why Social Security will not collapse and the four actions government can take to make sure it won't. Photo by Michal Grosicki In this episode you'll learn: What does Social Security cost per year and how is it funded. How soon will the Social Security trust funds be depleted. What are the ways to stabilize the Social Security program. How productivity increases will help determine the future of Social Security. Show Notes Scathing New Report Shows Just How Bankrupt … [Read more...]
132 Plus: Market Reaction to the Election, MLPs, Taxes and Bond Funds and Health Insurance
This week November 12, 2016 on Money For the Rest of Us Plus look at how financial assets have performed since the election. We answer the question of how correlated MLPs are to oil prices and what is the bull and bear case for MLPs. We also explore how to avoid year-end tax surprises with bond funds. Finally, we look at an alternative to health insurance. … [Read more...]
MNY102 Plus: Taxes, Asset Allocation and Analysis Paralysis
This week on Money For the Rest of Us Plus I answer three asset allocation and portfolio questions from members. One involves investing in taxable accounts, one involves moving back into the market and the other on transitioning a complex portfolio to a simpler structure. The episode length is 20 minutes. … [Read more...]
Taxes and Investing
In this audio lesson, I discuss that attitude and actions to take regarding taxes when investing. I discuss: Why most professional money managers including mutual funds don't pay attention to the tax impact of their decisions. Successful investing means paying taxes Don't put tax strategy ahead of your investment strategy. Put less tax efficient holdings in your tax deferred account. Tax loss harvesting. The episode length is 9 minutes. … [Read more...]
