Electric vehicles (EV) have been around quite some time now but not everyone has adopted the concept of battery cars. EV cars come at a premium compared to non-EV cars. Some folks, including myself, didn’t think it was worth the investment. Everyone knows that gas prices are skyrocketing recently and the number of EV customers are increasing. I am one of them. Here’s why I bought a plug-in hybrid car. I waited for the right moment. I have two old…
Talk about perfect storms, a number of key events happening in the world are affecting our everyday lives. You probably have seen prices on pretty much everything is going up and up and up. Look at gas prices, groceries, commodities, services, and so on. Everything costs more but you’re not making more. That’s inflation. Your buying power isn’t going up, it’s going down. Do we just sit back and wait for inflation to come down? Is there anything you can…
With the economy going through some turbulence with high inflation, record number of people leaving their jobs, high gas prices, higher interest rates, and the risk of going into a recession, now is the time to make a change. What changes do you ask? Changes that will help your financial posture. One reason to change is when something in our life forces us to change. Let’s start with inflation. A simple way of explaining inflation is that it costs more…
When it comes to filing your taxes, a key point is to know your tax laws. Not just federal tax laws but also your state and local tax laws. Knowing your tax laws can help you save money such as being able to claim to the maximum amount on certain items for a tax deduction. If someone else is doing your taxes, like a CPA, make sure they know the latest tax laws. It changes all the time. If you’re…
Businesses and organizations use marketing tactics to advertise, spread information, get your business, and for any other reasons to promote. This can be in the form of coupons, rebates, ads, special offers, and so on. Be aware of the dangers of good marketing. Not saying that any marketing is bad. It’s all about how you interpret them and what your reactions are to them. If you are trying to watch your spending, impulse buying is probably not a great idea….
Just like when you do spring cleaning I occasionally do the same with my emails. For all my online purchases, I tend to keep my emails just in case I need them in the future for quick lookups. I haven’t cleaned my email mailbox for about 4 years and you can imagine what I found…all the emails of my online purchases, travel reservations, receipts from here and there, and some other junk that I should have cleaned out a long…
Whew! Have you seen the stock market recently? What is going on? My portfolio has experienced a big dip and you might be experiencing the same. There’s so much to take in. Let’s see, there’s inflation, a pandemic, potential Russian invasion, rising interest rates, the Great Resignation, and more. With so many things happening, it’s no wonder we’re having a roller coaster market. Inflation is a huge factor. It costs more to buy the same goods now than it was…
I know smoking is unhealthy so I don’t smoke. I do know that there is a smoking market globally and many people do smoke. So, I invest in Phillip Morris and Altria, companies that have been around for a long time with a history of high dividends. Historically, the companies have been impacted by regulations and lawsuits, and their stock prices have fluctuated. However, their dividend yield is very strong and that is one reason why I have positions with…
Pre-tax accounts are good for retirement planning. It’s easy to enroll and invest in a 401K with your company but what if you don’t work for a company? What if you are your own boss, you’re a freelancer, or self-employed? A Simplified Employee Pension Plan (SEP) allows employers to contribute to traditional IRAs (SEP-IRAs) set up for employees. A business of any size, even self-employed, can establish a SEP. My wife is a freelancer, and she executed her first SEP…
Each year I look forward to the new year and where I should be focusing my attention. In 2021, I said that I would focus on Tesla even after it had a stock split. Tesla did well. I do believe the electric vehicle industry will continue to be strong so I’m not planning to sell any of my positions in Tesla. I do, however, believe 2022 will bring some volatility. With expected multiple interest rate hikes planned this year, inflation,…