Written by Benjamin Woods on February 6, 2012.
On June 12 North Dakota voters will decide whether to pass Constitutional Measure 2. That measure will repeal all property taxes. It is the most ridiculous idea ever proposed in the field of state and local public finance. The property tax remains the only source of revenue that insures local autonomy. With no property taxes, there is no localism to speak of. Property taxes are also the best means of limited government. Shifting local finances to the state gives the appearance that the local services are free. It creates a fight over resources at the state level. And ultimately results in less democratic and responsive government. I keep saying this; I wish someone would listen. What do you think?
Written by Benjamin Woods on January 23, 2012.
If youve been on the internet today, youve probably encountered big websites such as Wikipedia, Mozilla, Craigslist, and Reddit closing their content down today to protest SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) in the House, and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) in the Senate. Learn what this legislation means, and what you can do about it.
Many websites, experts, and news teams have explained what these acts are (better than we could) and why they are so dangerous. It basically has to do with online copyright infringement and piracy, but these acts propose drastic actions that could alter the very structure of the internet. Find out the details here
CBS News SOPA and PIPA- What You Need to Know
PC Mag Where Do You Stand on SOPA/PIPA
DONT JUST READ DO SOMETHING
It is your civic duty, your responsibility to let your congressmen know if you oppose this bill.
I was a Political Science major in college. I
Full Post…
Written by Benjamin Woods on January 16, 2012.
You should care because credit unions hold a significant advantage over banks (a fact not lost on bank lobbyists calling for more credit union oversight). The advantage is that they don’t have to chase profit and they’re not pushed around by shareholders. What, a financial institution that doesn’t care about profits? Exactly. Credit unions are by definition, non-profit institutions.
They exist to serve their members, not shareholders. Who are the members? You are, when you make a deposit. You’ll actually be called a “member” not a “customer” when you join! How cool is that? In other words credit unions seek to serve the financial needs (checking, savings, lending etc) of their members in a way that does not create profits. Think of it as a financial coop. Your savings gets lent to your friends!
Okay but won’t I feel safer at a bank? I mean they’re “too big to
Full Post…
Written by Benjamin Woods on January 7, 2012.
Russell Investments, the money management and indexing firm, filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission to bring to market what it called three high-yielding dividend ETFs, targeting an increasing popular segment of the market that includes one of the most successful recent ETF launches.
The three equity funds, for which Russell didn’t provide expense ratios, are:
- Russell High Dividend Yield ETF, which will trade with the ticker “HDIV”
- Russell Small Cap High Dividend Yield ETF, which will trade with the ticker “DIVS”
- Russell International High Dividend Yield ETF, which will trade with the ticker “IDIV”
The three new funds suggest the company is positioning itself to get a piece of the ETF market investors are moving toward at a time of great economic uncertainty. Some of the mo
Full Post…
Written by Benjamin Woods on December 31, 2011.
Like many, I took some time to enjoy – in my case, try to ignore – the holidays. But the nuttiness didn’t stop in the tax community. Here are my top five stupid tax things from the last couple of weeks.
1. While we were partying, our fearless leaders enacted a two-month extension of the so-called payroll tax holiday. Bar none, this is the stupidest tax policy idea I have ever seen – and, as we all know, that’s a high bar. Two-months? Clearly, these guys never had to meet a payroll – apparently, most of them never really had a real job. So, we get to watch Boehner and Cantor play games all over again in February, while the lecturer in chief tells us all what’s good for us?
What went mostly unnoticed while we were all filling ourselves with holiday cheer was that the establishment media was finally picking up on the fact that this payroll tax holiday idea may be a serious threat to Social Security. I thought George Bush was the serious threat to Social Security? Nope; it’s
Full Post…
Written by Benjamin Woods on December 18, 2011.
Havent got your shopping done for the holidays? Well, youre not the only one (Cough, Cough, points at self). Yes, yours truly hasnt finished his holiday shopping either. Soon Im going to be one of the many mobbing the malls trying to finish off those gifts we forgot to cross off the list. As much as December is prime time for buying gifts, it also is for theft. To prevent your credit card and holiday gifts from being under some thiefs Christmas Tree this year, we have some tips to help.
When Out Shopping
- If you are carrying a wallet, make sure that it is in a tight pocket (Such as pants) rather than a jacket pocket. Its a lot easier for a thief to grab your wallet without you noticing from your jacket.
- Carrying a purse?
Full Post…
Written by Benjamin Woods on December 9, 2011.
Students social security numbers are listed on many college documents, such as student ID’s, report cards, and loans. Students need to be very careful and aware of their surroundings because methods of identity theft range from taking information out of the trash to cyber-crimes. College campuses are a more open environment with many people wandering around, who may not be students. Students are more prone to having friends coming in and out of dorm rooms, fraternity houses, etc. In addition, universities and colleges databases have been hacked, which shows that thieves find value in that information.
Tips to avoid identity theft
Here is a list of tips to avoid being a victim of identity theft:
Shred documents with personal information such as credit card statements, bank statements, credit card offers, bills, unused checks, and old financial documents.
Get a Post Office Box for your mail or have sensitive information sent home. M
Full Post…