As the labor market has been gutted by COVID (early retirements and twenty-somethings who got used to the government sending them paychecks for 18 months and are not willing to work), employers are having to pay significantly higher wages and offer new and exciting benefits to coax people back into the workforce. One of these benefits is an employer-sponsored 401k. This plan is a tax- efficient way for employees to save for retirement through employee payroll deferral. One of the main benefits to having a 401k is the ability to defer your current income until a time in the future, typically during retirement, when your income is lower. Your deferred payroll deposits are not included in your current taxable income and are allowed to be invested in different markets and grow tax-deferred, until you withdraw those funds when you retire. Another added benefit to a 401k plan is that often, employers will match the contribution you make. Then, this type of savings plan is even more beneficial for the employee and becomes a very valuable part of their employment package. Some employers, in an effort to try to retain and recruit good employees, have instituted match policies of up to 10% of the salary percentage that employees put away on their own. That is essentially a 10% increase in pay if you stay with the employer for a specific period of time, as laid out in the plan’s vesting schedule.
I have always had a soft spot for lifeguards. It probably traces all the way back to my very first summer when my mother, a lifeguard at the time, taught me how to swim.
During WW2, simple calculating/tabulating machines including the first computer facsimiles were used to catalog soldiers, people and munitions by the use of punch cards and other apparatus. After the war, the United States Army developed the ENIAC system and used it to calculate artillery firing tables and perform functions related to thermonuclear weaponry. Weighing nearly 30 tons, the unit utilized 18,000 vacuum tubes, numerous diodes, relays, resistors, etc. At a cost of $5 million of today’s money, it was too expensive and cumbersome to reproduce for personal or independent business applications.
Suppose a President of the United States proposed raising taxes on everyone, rich and poor, by 8.5%. And suppose this would not be a one-time 8.5% tax increase; taxes would be increased by 8.5% every single year.
The first time I visited Spain, I went with my mother. She had been before, one stop among many on a European cruise. She had only gotten a glimpse of Barcelona, though, just the slightest taste of what the city had to offer, so when she mentioned the idea of venturing back, this time with me accompanying her I of course, accepted immediately – especially as it was on her dime.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was included in the 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act and intended to hold up to 700 million barrels of oil in the event of an emergency. The SPR was created following the 1973 Middle East Oil Embargo, when the price of crude oil tripled over six months, leading to a severe economic recession. The SPR is supposed to buffer against such disruptions that might otherwise lead to an economic or national security emergency.
Imagine if you will a city down on its luck – holding on to the grand days of its past when parades filled the streets with cheer and every hand was full, now left forgotten, abandoned by prosperity to fend for itself. For the people in this city and its hard streets, hope is hard to come by, a catastrophe seemingly waiting around every corner. Now cue a movement, a feeling, a breath of fresh air full of inspiration and the world begins to change. The flowers grow, the children learn and the sun shines highlighting a path to a new horizon, a new destiny. What happens when a community walks that path together? Come with me on a voyage through another dimension – a dimension of sight, a dimension of sound, a dimension of mind. A voyage to a place without prejudice, fear or poverty.
On an April 12 podcast by Goldman Sachs called “Rising Stagflation Risks Are Changing the Investment Climate’’ their global head of asset solution stated, “I would say that the playbook for investments and portfolio construction, of the period since the financial crisis, may not be relevant anymore. We have entered a period of higher inflation, higher volatility, and more uncertainty.” To say that the first quarter of the year was challenging for investors would be a massive understatement! At the time of this writing, the NASDAQ Index is -14.66%* the S&P 500 is -7.84% and if you think that is bad, the Russian index is -36% followed by China’s Shanghai index slightly better at -11.77%.**
After such a long winter, we are all looking to enjoy spring flowers in every way possible! This includes incorporating the edible varieties into recipes to make them extra special.
One of the best things about living in Houston, TX is being within driving distance of New Orleans. And one of the worst things is being within driving distance from New Orleans. It’s just close enough to drive to, but far enough that the drive is tedious and taxing.
When my daughter Melissa found out her son (my grandson) Mack had decided to join the United States Marine Corps, her life was forever changed. He had just turned 18 and hadn’t yet graduated from high school when he made the commitment. The two have always shared a special bond but no matter what Melissa said or did, Mack’s mind was made up. He told her it was his calling and something he felt compelled to do. His desire was to serve his country and in his words, is “an honorable thing to do.”
