Everyone loves to talk about the Bush tax cuts.  Democrats hate ‘em.  Republicans swear by ‘em.  So, what’s the deal?  Should they expire?  Should they be extended?  If so, partially or completely?  There’s essentially two main sides to the decision, but unfortunately, way more political rhetoric than reason.  Let’s try and break it down…
The Case To Let Them Expire
The deficit.  The government needs revenue.  The tax cuts would bring in some nice revenue to help fund the government programs and reduce the money that is borrowed to do so.  This …

Perma-bull, pom-pom carrying CNBC personality Larry Kudlow is rarely the person telling us to sell stocks, but this is exactly what he’s telling us in a recent article.  His article for the most part, focuses on selling prior to the increase in capital gains taxes scheduled for January 1, 2011.
Taxes are going up across-the-board. So investors should seriously consider selling into any stock market strength ahead of the tax deadline. Doing this will enable investors to lock in a lower capital-gains tax this year and beat next year’s higher rates.It’s …

Interesting article out recently on the tax data coming in for this year.  The article discusses how 50% of American households will pay zero federal income taxes this year.  Depending on your point of view, this might be a good or bad thing.
The most interesting part of the article is at the end describing exactly how a family of four making $50,000 can pay zero income taxes.
The family was entitled to a standard deduction of $11,400 and four personal exemptions of $3,650 apiece, leaving a taxable income of $24,000. The …

According to a BusinessWeek article, Obama is “agnostic” on tax increases on the Middle Class, the group he vowed to not raise taxes a single cent on during his campaign and other speeches while President.
Obama in his interview said that all items need to be on the table when addressing the large, fiscal obstacles ahead for the country.  This includes entitlement reform and it includes tax increases.  He also does a good job of identifying the core issues:
“Our real problem is not the spike in spending last year, or the …

We’re in tax season now, and I’ve done a first run-through of my taxes.  Due to some major challenges in our family, we’re going to get a nice refund (down to a single income + child credit).  This is a welcome change since last year I actually owed money to the IRS after doing my taxes (sucks).  So, what to do with the money?
Here’s an estimate of what I’m thinking at this point:

20% – General Savings
20% – Savings for child’s preschool fund and/or other needs
20% – Purchase some physical gold …

As we head into tonight’s debate, the political scene is roaring due to the controversial bailout being orchestrated which perhaps brings together our nation’s capital and Wall St. closer than ever before. Since both candidates have very different views on taxes, and it definitely impacts your money, we’re going to take a look at these plans and ideas.

Unfortunately, most 20-somethings have a bleak financial future ahead of them. For many people who may or not be planning for retirement, the math simply doesn’t add up. You won’t have enough money to retire. Let me explain why.