Tips About Anything

Archive for the ‘Taxes and Money’ Category

Many people have stopped relying solely on banks as a safe place to hold money, given the economic climate.  Here are seven tips to consider to protect any cash you may have:

1. Be sure your institution is insured:   If you are not sure if your bank is FDIC insured, find out or get your money out and move it to an  institution that is FDIC insured.
2. Start and grow a coin collection:  Coin collections are tangible assets that will always keep their face value.  This is an alternative to just owning stocks that could depreciate or cause you to lose money.
3. Keep cash safe at home: Cash is ‘King’.  Believe this statement, and remember not to keep it in a thief’s favorite spot like in the bread box or under/in the mattress. 
4. US Savings bonds:  This is an oldie, but goodie (safe) option.  US Savings bonds are an easy way for your money to stay safe for the future.  However, if lost or stolen, the bonds could be difficult to replace unless the serial number(s) was kept in a safe place.  US Savings bonds must now be held for at least 1 year before cashing them in.
5. Gold and Silver: If you already own gold or silver, great, hold on to it.  If you do not own it, try to obtain as many US government issued gold and silver coins, as you can.  Due to the recent demand, the US  Mint had to halt the production of some of their most valued gold coins. 
6. Real estate:  With interest rates at historic all-time lows, the market is sure to recover and property values will once again bounce back.  Those who hold on to their homes or other real estate will likely reap the benefits of these investments.
7. Purchase a good safe: Home safes are becoming a necessity during times of economic turmoil.  A good safe is made from solid steel construction and can range in price depending on size.  If you find a good safe, you will have your own ‘Fort Knox’ to keep everything safe including official documents, coin collections, currency, US Savings Bonds, guns, gold, silver, deeds, wills and other legal papers.

As more companies adopt social media for business dealings, leading organizations are trying to assess the actual value of using these tools.  Companies are finding that while social media technologies do have business benefits, calculating the hard numbers of ROI is a difficult but necessary step as they try to decide what actions to take next.

 One executive says a YouTube video helped prove the need that businesses need to invest resources in social media.  A clip called “Dancing Otters” has attracted more than 900,000 viewers since it was posted two years ago. 

 Technical Support:  A dedicated IT team is needed to work on development projects to support the social media initiative. 

 Top barriers: 

1. Lack of dedicated resources to perform measurement analysis (30%)
2. Don’t know what to measure
3. Social media isn’t primarily about ROI
4. Lack of tools

Even with the volatile economy, studies show that over time, investing in your 401 K is worth it.  There are many studies on long term benefits associated with 401 K investments, which I will not get into.  The recurring results of the studies show that the pain associated with the 401K is worth it.  So keep investing in your 401k.  When you retire, you will see the results and be glad you made the investments.

The cash for clunkers automobile buying program is a significant tax relief for car shoppers and you don’t have to fire up your old rust-bucket to qualify.  As part of the federal stimulus effort, the IRS is allowing this year’s buyers of new vehicles to claim local sales taxes as a deduction o 2009 federal returns.  For instance, in Monroe County (Rochester NY area), that is an 8% break or $2,400 on a $30,000 new car. 

 The deduction is limited to the first $49,500 of the price, and the relief applies to new cars, light trucks, motorcycles and motor homes.  Vehicles weighing 8,500 pounds or less qualify; there is no weight restriction on motor homes. 

New Vehicles must be purchased after February 15, 2009 and before December 31, 2009 to qualify.

Do you have a child about to enter college? Chances are, you’d like to buy them a new laptop, netbook, or desktop PC.

Under the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, taxpayers who buy PCs for their children in 2009 and 2010 can claim those desktops, notebooks, and netbooks as qualified higher education expenses.
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