Click Here for PDF Newsletter About 70% of Social Security recipients have Medicare premiums paid via withholding from Social Security Benefits. In 2015, the inflation index used to calculate benefits showed no inflation so there was no increase in Social Security benefits from cost of living adjustments. Increasing Medicare charges would have resulted in a [...]
Click Here for PDF Newsletter It started with the 2012 W-2s. For the first time employers were required to report the cost of employer paid medical benefits as an information item. This information had no impact on tax computations. 2014 was the first year in which penalties were assessed because of lack of medical coverage. [...]
Click Here for PDF Newsletter Special Issues Requiring Action in 2014 A. GET THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO MAKE A DECISION ON HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR 2015. The Affordable Care Act levies penalties on individuals who do not have health insurance coverage. The penalty for 2015 is 2% of your Modified Adjusted Gross Income or [...]
Click Here for PDF Newsletter Background In 2014 Japan embarked on a dramatic increase in their money supply, labeled in the financial press as Abenomics after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abenomics is quantitative easing on steroids. QE involves a central bank buying of assets with newly created money, which injects currency into the economic system. [...]
Click Here for PDF Newsletter Background There are 38 states that treat pension benefits as a contractual right. Of these, 12 have explicit protection in the state’s constitution. (See the table “Legal Status of Pension Benefits” at the end of this article.) Detroit is a disaster 60 years in the making. Since 1950, it has [...]
Click Here for PDF Newsletter A quick recap of the events related to the Affordable Care Act since October 1. Promises by the President notwithstanding, individuals owning health policies received a large number of cancellation notices. The insurance exchanges opened, giving consumers their first look at policies complying with the provisions of the Affordable Care [...]
Click Here for PDF Newsletter Background Individuals making purchase decisions on health insurance have historically made the following choices that will lower their costs: They could limit coverage. They could increase deductibles and coinsurance percentages. They could increase their maximum responsibility under the policy. This was a self-insurance decision. In exchange for limiting covered services [...]
Click Here for PDF Newsletter A. GET THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO MAKE A DECISION ON HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR 2014. Starting in 2014, the Affordable Care Act levies penalties on individuals who do not have health insurance coverage. Many policies have been cancelled, requiring individuals to either go onto the exchanges to purchase a [...]
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Click Here for PDF Newsletter Highlights of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 In a “spare me the drama” performance in the first week of January, Congress passed tax legislation that was advertised to not raise income taxes for filers making from $100,000 to $400,000. When the effects on marginal income tax rates are considered, [...]
