Author: Tony Novak
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Propaganda tools
A commenter wrote “the NY Times is basically the propaganda arm of the Democratic party, in the same way Fox news is the propaganda arm of the Republican party“. I see it quite differently: Science, data, educational institutions , intellectuals, and investigative journalism are all part of the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party. Religion,…
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The real reason why San Francisco is a great place to live
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently passed a resolution, introduced by Board President London Breed, in response to the election of Donald Trump. The resolution reads as follows: WHEREAS, On November 8, 2016, Donald Trump was elected to become the 45th President of the United States; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That no…
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How to handle the Trump mortgage insurance fiasco
If you are a first time homeowner with a variable rate mortgage then there’s a good chance that your payment will increase by the maximum amount this year because of rising interest rates. To help offset the burden on these already strapped homeowners, the FHA planned to reduce the mortgage insurance rate by 1/4 of…
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Day 1: Screw working class homeowners
It’s really hard for me to believe this is tonight’s business news and not a science fiction story but apparently the first three actions in the Trump White House were apparently to: 1) remove scientific data about climate change from the government’s web site, 2) remove online information defending equal rights for minorities, and 3)…
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Pros and Cons of a One Person Pension Plan
This post summarizes the pros and cons of a one person private pension plan (sometimes called a “Solo Defined Benefit Plan”) for a successful small business owner as opposed to other self-employed retirement savings options. Pros Potentially larger immediate tax deduction; perhaps in the range of 3 times to 5 times larger than a 401(k)…
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Support for immigration reform
I am committed to support the right of individuals to travel freely across political borders. The U.S. Constitution ensures equal representation for all individuals living in the United States, regardless of immigration status. Noncitizens lack the right to vote in federal elections but they have the right to have their voices heard by their representatives…
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Trump sparks tax protest plans
Over the past month I’ve heard and read about a number of tax protest plans. Some are idiotic, others are criminal. Some might actually work. Some taxpayers want to take advantage of imagined tax reductions promoted by scammers. Other refuse to support the federal government led by Donald Trump and are looking for the safest…
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The tax madness has begun
Yesterday, still a few days before the IRS officially begins accepting 2016 tax returns, an accountant shared this advertisement found by a client: Of course, the tax client wanted to know how to double their tax refund.
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Health care reform in a nutshell
It doesn’t matter whether we call it the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, or Trumpcare, or the Republican Plan – the difficult issues and available solutions are the same. We can’t afford the solutions we want and we don’t have the political will to implement the solutions that we can afford. I’ve reported on the practical issues…
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Top five traits of a good director
This survey by Russell Reynolds says that the the top trait of a good corporate director is courage.