Category: News and Politics
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No tax penalties for Healthcare.gov customers given wrong information
Yesterday the Department of Treasury issued a press release saying that the IRS announced that it will not penalize taxpayers who filed taxes based on incorrect reporting information from the federal health insurance exchange. That’s mighty kind of them.
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ACA – The law that really wasn’t
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 really hasn’t had any significant impact on individuals and small businesses despite the volumes of information, rhetoric and threats of penalties for non-compliance. Today the Obama administration extended the individual health insurance enrollment deadline (again) regarding the individual mandate. Last week they postponed the effective deadline for small business…
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My most popular articles in January 2015
All five most of my most popular articles on LinkedIn Pulse for the month of January 2015 were actually published in December. That seems odd given the short-lived value of the type of news-related consumer finance topics and commentary that I typically cover. I notice that the top four are direct commentaries on current events reported…
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Rich and Poor: The Growing Divide
I did not write this 2001 book by UK’s professor Tony Novak. But I’m tempted to write a 2015 US version on the same topic of the growing wealth divide and its impact on every aspect of our society.
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The full burden of college debt is still unrecognized
While only 17% of the U.S. population has earned an undergraduate college degree, education debt is a major economic drag on the country. Over our lifetime college tuition costs have risen much faster than the rate of a typical salary earner’s income. Government and news media now describe the current cost of college as “out of…
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The latest financial planning twist for same-sex couples
I try to follow developing news for my same-sex couple clients (some now married, some not) and occasionally post something that attempts to summarize or help with planning like this “Financial Planning Checklist for Unmarried Couples” that has turned out to be quite popular. Recall that in 2013 the Supreme Court ruled on a case…
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Ehealth continues to lead the insurance enrollment market but in the wrong direction
Ehealth (EHTH) is in the news again since my last blog post on this company on January 5. The company announced losses in the range of $(0.13) to $(0.04), per diluted share compared to earlier expectation of non-GAAP net income of $0.30 to $0.43 per diluted share. Even more telling is that the stock price fluctuated from $8.88-$63.32…
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My attempt to understand the radical Islamic threat
Today’s Wall Street Journal carries an editorial written by Newt Gingrich on the radical Islamic threat. It is well written and very much worth reading. I won’t attempt to summarize or comment on it. Regardless of how you feel about Newt’s politics, he is undeniably a bright guy and a strong writer. I was struck with…
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Update on NJ Sandy Recovery – January 2015
This is meant as a brief summary for those who may not be following the recent news about Sandy recovery. It is not meant to be political, but rather just summarizes what happened over the past week. My own home and business as well as most of my neighbors are still working through the realities…
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Obamacare adviser blues
Some of the telephone and email requests I receive for professional help with Obamacare include phrases like: My theory is … I heard that… My brother-in-law says that … I have a hard time expressing in a socially acceptable manner that as a professional. I cannot and do not have any significant regard for what…