Singapore’s Saving System
By Chuck Bentley Forbes Magazine columnist John Goodman had a lot of high praise for the nation of Singapore’s alternative to the American welfare system. He said: Singapore has built an alternative to the European style welfare state. Think of all the reasons why people turn to government in other developed countries: retirement income, housing, […]
Saving Money on Life Insurance
By Chuck Bentley I think life insurance is a great idea and it is especially important for families to have adequate coverage. I did a little research on how to save money on life insurance and came across an option that I did not know existed. Some insurance providers allow you to add a rider […]
47% of Americans save zero.
By Chuck Bentley A recent article in Business Insider headlined this news: Nearly half of all Americans save nothing. That is nada, zero, zip. Here’s the problem with the article. This is not news. This has been the practice for about the last than 20 years. The bigger question is Why? Why are we a nation […]
a good money story
By Chuck Bentley Yahoo Parents featured the story of an immigrant couple that moved to the US from the Philippines and turned their passion for home movies into a lucrative career—earning more than $1 million from their YouTube channel. But that is not the biggest surprise. Their home movies are best known for videos of […]
Are you spending too much money?
By Chuck Bentley Are you spending too much money? According to an article in investopedia.com, here are 10 signs you’re spending too much money. 1. You carry credit card debt. If you’re not completely paying off the balance on your credit card every month, you’re probably spending too much. 2. You have no retirement savings. If this is […]
Payday Loan ATMs
By Chuck Bentley A bright orange ATM is popping up around Moscow, Russia at railway stations and shopping malls. This strange kind of ATM looks like a regular cash machine, but it’s designed to accept loan applications and dole out money on the spot. The loan ATM is a product of Oleg Boyko, a Russian billionaire […]
3% Down Payment Mortgages Declining
By Chuck Bentley New research by RealtyTrac indicates that fewer people are getting low down payment mortgages than in previous years. The percentage of new mortgages with a 3 percent down payment was the lowest in 2014 of the previous 10 years, at 25 percent of all home purchases. In other words, only 25 percent […]
Scam Alert
By Chuck Bentley Anthem, a major health insurance company, warned consumers recently to be aware of scam email campaigns targeting current and former customers of the company. The emails encourage recipients to click a link for credit monitoring services. “These emails are NOT from Anthem,” the insurance company said in the statement. Here is why […]
Obamacare Information for your tax return
By Chuck Bentley You will need to report your healthcare arrangements to the IRS as one of the consequences of Obamacare, or else: Failure to comply can result in a reduced tax refund and penalties. First, there’s the coverage issue. Under Obamacare’s individual shared responsibility provision, you must let the IRS know when you file […]
Obamacare and Your Taxes
By Chuck Bentley I hope you know that a key part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that taxpayers have qualifying health care coverage. Those without will need to qualify for an exemption or pay a penalty. This “Individual Shared Responsibility” provision applies to both individuals and families. If you, your spouse, and everyone […]
