By John Gapper | The Financial Times The New York minicab service I used to favour communicated in code. When you rang and gave your address, the radio dispatcher would reply “five minutes” and hang up. This meant a cab would arrive at any time from one to 10 minutes later. “Seven minutes” meant 20, …
Continue reading Why Taxi Cab Drivers Cannot Put Down Their Smartphones
Right now, it's about 9:30 in the morning of Christmas Eve. But in parts of Australia and New Zealand, Santa has already come down the chimney and is on his way back to the North Pole. (Does he have a distribution center at the South Pole?) So, just as an early glass of Scotch causes …
My Comments: Who knew? If I'd known this before, would I have planned any differently? Maybe. By Dan Kadlec Dec. 12, 2013 With a savings crisis so deep that more than half of American adults are unsure they could scrape together $2,000 within a month for an emergency, it may seem tone deaf to worry …
My Comments: Recently, I have developed an “expertise” in Social Security matters. I wish I'd had this knowledge when I reached what is known in the system as Full Retirement Age or FRA. For me, this was when I was 65 and 8 months old. I signed up and I’ve been getting checks every month …
I’m sure you agree that we live in a world of political correctness. Sometimes that’s a good thing and many times it just gets in the way of common sense. Right now, I have to tell you I am NOT licensed or qualified to dispense tax advice. But as a financial planner, for which I …
The idea of simply signing up for Social Security checks once you reach at 62 used to be a good idea. Not anymore. For each of us, there are 92 possible months to sign up. How do you know which one is best. And once you sign up, there is no turning back. I’ve recently …
Continue reading 6 Things About Social Security You Should Know
My Comments: I’m stepping in political waters here but I can’t help myself. This came from the Financial Times and the insights shed a lot of light on how we got to where we are in Washington. There is no reason to think this doesn’t apply to both the Republicans and the Democrats alike, but …
My Thoughts: Employment numbers are higher than normal, though coming down slowly, and the argument made by those who oppose this idea is that it will cause more unemployment. Some marginal workers will lose their jobs, but the ability of those who do not and instead receive higher wages will spur consumption. That will have …
Continue reading A Higher Minimum Wage is the Tonic America Needs
My Comments: Amid all the discussion about whether to raise the minimum wage, or whether it’s in our best interest for ALL of us to have health insurance, and how to keep the Social Security system solvent for the next generation or two, it’s easy to forget how it was before all that happened. I …
My Thoughts: Having the IRS look closely at you is not something you are likely to enjoy. But the good news is there are fewer agents than before and unless your “mistake” is grievous, you are likely to be overlooked. But you can’t count on it. With computer technology advancing by the minute, it will …
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