Are You Even Required to File a Tax Return? Here’s How to Tell
Millions of households to pay zero federal income taxes — and it’s perfectly legal.
Month: February 2023
Are You Going To Spend Over $1,000 This Holiday Season?
The average person spends around $900 on gifts for the holiday season, according to American Research Group. That amount doesn’t even account for other holiday spending, such as travel costs, food, get togethers, decorations, and more. Some people even go into credit card debt to spend for the holidays, but is that really worth it? […]
The post Are You Going To Spend Over $1,000 This Holiday Season? appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.
10 Essential Factors of a Retirement Planning Checklist
If there’s one thing that you don’t want to do twice, that would be retiring. Imagine having to go back to work after you’ve called it quits. Yuck!! I’ve heard horror stories of this happening and the most common culprit is lack of planning. Planning your retirement is something you do not want to take […]
The post 10 Essential Factors of a Retirement Planning Checklist appeared first on Good Financial Cents®.
What is Frontier elite status worth in 2023?
Frontier Airlines is a low-cost carrier that serves the U.S., Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. You might be surprised at the high value weâve put on Frontier elite status, but thatâs because itâs been sort of falsely inflated. Hereâs why. Frontier is one of those airlines that charges for just about everything â and â¦
How to Thrift Shop for Vintage Concert T-Shirts
Were you a Supertramp super-fan? A Green Day groupie? Check your closets. It might be time to cash in on those old concert T-shirts.
The rise of alternative investments
Back during the dotcom collapse of 2000, I was losing money in the stock market like a champ. I was a second-year financial analyst who had a serious case of confusing brains with a bull market. When I turned to my VP and told him I was still bullish about the stock market, he almost slapped me upside the head. “We’re in a bear market, son. Get used to it and stop dreaming!”
After losing about 30 percent in my after-tax portfolio, my dreams of stock market riches finally faded. I cried “uncle” and moved my money into more conservative investments. The funny part was that my 401k was actually up in 2000 and in 2001 because I had allocated 50 percent of my assets into a hedge fund called Andor Capital Management that went short the market.
Normally, only accredited investors — those who earn $200,000 a year or more or who have a net worth of over $1 million or more (excluding their primary residence) — can invest in hedge funds. But my firm had a partnership with Andor that gave us peons access to invest as well.
Don’t let your emotions drive your car-buying decisions
I was in the 6th grade when I first laid eyes on her. She was a 1989 BMW 635i Coupe that did donuts in the school’s parking lot after class thanks to an obnoxious, rich 11th-grader who got the car as a birthday present. I was immediately smitten and promised myself one day I’d be able to buy such a car too.
The new 6 series BMW came out in 2005 and all the memories came rushing back. What cost only $35,000 then now cost $75,000 thanks to inflation and an infinite amount of new features. I don’t know about you, but $75,000 is a big chunk of change and is way beyond my 1/10th rule for car-buying I say everyone must follow.
I figured instead of spending $75,000, why not go back in time and actually buy that 1989 635i Coupe! My brilliant idea led me to Craigslist where I found my true dream car listed in “fantastic condition with only 160,000 miles”! That’s only 8,000 miles a year I rationalized, and off I went to see the seller 45 minutes away.
How to Use Gift Money for a Down Payment
Gift money is a cash donation (usually from a close relative) that you can use for your down payment, closing costs, and other fees. However, there are rules and requirements to keep in mind when using gift money during the loan process. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about using gift… View Article
The post How to Use Gift Money for a Down Payment first appeared on Total Mortgage.
FHFA proposes more changes to enterprises’ capital framework
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s regulator on Thursday released a new series of possible tweaks to some financial parameters they work within, which appear aimed at accommodating recent policy shifts while managing risk. The new Enterprise Capital Regulatory Framework proposal includes, for example, an update to the treatment of commingled securities. Guarantees for uniform mortgage-backed … [Read more…]
This Is How They Get Ya!
This Is How They Get Ya! Bonds weathered the storm of a Treasury auction and the Fed meeting minutes today without any significant drama. Trading levels started the day stronger and managed to hold onto the gains by the 3pm close. At first glance, one might be tempted to be reassured by this turn of events. And while it could indeed by the case that today was but the first in a series of friendlier days ahead for bonds, we’d want to see at least 3 similar days, back to back to back, before getting too excited. Market Movement Recap 08:42 AM Inconsequentially stronger early in the overnight session. 2-way volatility in Europe. 10yr down less than 1bp at 3.947 and MBS up an eighth. 12:18 PM Some additional strength mid-morning, but leveling off now. MBS up a quarter point. 10yr yields down 4bps at 3.914 01:26 PM Slightly stronger after respectable 5yr Treasury auction. 10yr yield down 6bps at 3.896. MBS up 3/8ths+ 02:17 PM Losing some ground after Fed Minutes. 10yr down only 3bps at 3.923. MBS up only 6 ticks (.19). 03:42 PM Modest additional weakness. MBS up only 3 ticks on the day (.09) and 10yr yields down 2.3bps at 3.931.