Category: News and Politics
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NJELEC clarifications
I called the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission help line for clarification on the following issues related to small local election campaigns: A school board candidate does not need to file an A1 Form. The candidate must sign Form A1 and form D1. The candidate electronic signature can be after the treasurer starts these…
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2021 New Jersey election: what it means for our small rural depressed communities
30 days from today is the New Jersey election. The anti-incumbent feeling is strong, as usual, but not strong enough to really make a difference. I’ve come to conclude over the years, sadly, that almost nothing at state level elections has much impact on our lives locally in rural South Jersey. Many of our local…
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Tax provisions of the infrastructure bill
Why are we discussing this? The infrastructure bill passed the Senate this month with a strong majority support but is not yet law. What tax provisions are included? Cryptocurrency broker reporting is the hot topic. The bill also includes a longer tax filing extension after disasters. (This is important because we expect to see more natural…
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Is it political? Is delayed prosecution for financial fraud unethical?
Twenty plus years ago when I worked as an accountant for contractors documenting various types of financial fraud committed by the Trump organization for civil cases, the decision to not charge him criminally clearly was political. Civil courts in hundreds of cases found evidence of fraud, yet criminal charges were never filed. Politicians in New…
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Nine 2021 tax law changes in the American Rescue Plan
The American Rescue Plan makes these nine tax law changes for 2021: Additional stimulus payments Expanded Child Tax Credit Expanded Child and Dependent Care Credit Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit Increased Premium Tax Credits Extension and expansion of Paid Sick Leave and Family Leave Extension of Employee Retention Credit Pension plan relief Repeal of worldwide…
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Overview of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Background In February 2021 the U.S. Senate, The House of Representatives and the Executive Branch led by the White House took a series of actions designed to address the pandemic recession by allowing a huge proposed economic stimulus bill to move through to approval without relying on Republican party votes. The Democratic Party members of…
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Political support policy for 2021 and 2022
I’ve been an advocate of written policies in aspects of financial management, whether investment policy, expense approval policy, charitable donations and more. This post is about my own political support policy for the next couple of years. I’m probably in the majority of Americans concerned with the actions by a minority of more radical but…
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Safety planning for 2021 post-pandemic: a personal choice
By all accounts, we are not yet halfway through the worst of the COVID pandemic as we soon enter the cold weather season. The most basic point of what we now know is that it spreads easily through the air with prolonged contact. Even indoor ventilation systems pose a significant spread risk. We also know…