Wednesday, March 25, 2015

MCCS Employee Benefits

MCCS Employee Benefits

Imputed income is the dollar value that IRS puts on the amount of group term life insurance coverage in excess of $50,000. The imputed income occurs when individuals with more than $50,000 of life coverage volume insurance pay less for the coverage than the IRS has determined to be worth, as per the uniform premium table.


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How do out-of-pocket maximums work? | FAQs | bcbsm.com

How do out-of-pocket maximums work? | FAQs | bcbsm.com

An out-of-pocket maximum is the most you'll have to pay during a policy period (usually a year) for health care services. Once you've reached your out-of-pocket maximum, your plan begins to pay 100 percent of the allowed amount for covered services.


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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Rental Checklist: 10 Things to Do When You Look at a Rental - Curbed University - Curbed Philly

Rental Checklist: 10 Things to Do When You Look at a Rental - Curbed University - Curbed Philly

Facebook Friday, November 16, 2012, by Liz Spikol Real estate agents are good communicators, and when they're working with renters, who are often on a time-sensitive mission and have looser standards than buyers, they know how to work it. Don't get distracted by the chitchat. Be scrupulous. Some of the things we suggest are going to sound ridiculously nitpicky. But you can tell a lot about your landlord just by looking at small things—the doorknobs, for instance. Are they jiggly? How about the switch plates? Do they have specks of paint on them? Every square inch of that property says something about your landlord's pride of place—or lack thereof. It also tells you who they think they're renting to; if certain things aren't done, that's because they know their renters generally don't care if it's done. Make sure you and the property owner see eye to eye on what matters. The hardest part of doing a thorough inspection is asking a lot of pesky questions. But do it. Be that person.

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Guide to Short-term vs Long-term Capital Gains Taxes (Brokerage Accounts, etc.) - TurboTax Tax Tips & Videos

Guide to Short-term vs Long-term Capital Gains Taxes (Brokerage Accounts, etc.) - TurboTax Tax Tips & Videos

Long-term capital gains

If you can manage to hold your assets for longer than a year, you can benefit from a reduced tax rate on your profits. For 2014, the long-term capital gains tax rates are 0, 15, and 20 percent for most taxpayers. If your ordinary tax rate is already less than 15 percent, you could qualify for the zero percent long-term capital gains rate. For high-income taxpayers, the capital gains rate could save as much as 19.6 percent off the ordinary income rate.


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Monday, March 23, 2015

What to Consider Before Applying for a Medical Credit Card - US News

What to Consider Before Applying for a Medical Credit Card - US News

What to Consider Before Applying for a Medical Credit Card These cards can help you pay for the treatment of medical pain – but may cause financial pain. + More The story of Marsha Donahue's dental bill began in 1986. She was 36 years old, driving on a busy stretch of road in Scarborough, Maine, when she stopped to make a left turn into a business. "As I glanced in the mirror, I saw a car speeding toward the rear of my car," Donahue recalls. "It was an older man trying to beat out a couple of young men in a car to his right." He didn't see Donahue, or her two-year-old son. With no time to get out of the way, Donahue gritted her teeth and braced for impact. Both mother and son were fine, but their Saab hatchback was totaled, and Donahue's teeth were a casualty. For years after, Donahue had issues with them, and a dentist surmised it was probably due to that crash. An X-ray revealed hairline cracks in Donahue's back teeth, which allowed decay and rotting under her old fillings.

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7 Reasons to File a New Tax Withholding Form - DailyFinance

7 Reasons to File a New Tax Withholding Form - DailyFinance

Sign Up 7 Reasons to File a New Tax Withholding Form Recent Posts × Some financial tasks can be taken care of when life slows down, and when you can give financial matters full attention. Filing a new tax withholding form or W-4 Form, however, is not one of them. The best time to file a new tax withholding form with your employer is precisely when your life is in upheaval -- you're getting married or divorced, buying a house and moving into it, or even bringing a new baby home from the hospital. The bigger the change in your life, the more important it is to make sure you're having the right amount of income tax withheld from your pay. If you experienced any of these events in your life recently, it may be time for you to check your withholding levels and file a new Form W-4, if necessary: You get married. Getting married changes your tax status -- even if you don't file a joint return. If one spouse makes most of the money, or if one spouse doesn't work,

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Tax Topics - Topic 306 Penalty for Underpayment of Estimated Tax

Tax Topics - Topic 306 Penalty for Underpayment of Estimated Tax

The United States income tax is a pay-as-you-go tax, which means that you must pay tax as you earn or receive your income during the year. You can do this either through withholding or by making estimated tax payments. If you do not pay your tax or you pay an insufficient amount of tax through withholding, you might also have to pay estimated taxes. If you did not pay enough tax throughout the year, either through withholding or by making estimated tax payments, you may have to pay a penalty for underpayment of estimated tax. Generally, most taxpayers will avoid this penalty if they either owe less than $1,000 in tax after subtracting their withholding and estimated tax payments, or if they paid at least 90% of the tax for the current year or 100% of the tax shown on the return for the prior year, whichever is smaller. There are special rules for farmers and fishermen, certain household employers and certain higher income taxpayer

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Saturday, March 21, 2015

Is Costco Executive Membership Worth It? -- My Money Blog

Is Costco Executive Membership Worth It? — My Money Blog

American

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Irs Rules That Failure To Attach 83b Election To Form 1040 Did Not Invalida | Blog | Employee Benefit Plans | Services | Baker Newman Noyes

Irs Rules That Failure To Attach 83b Election To Form 1040 Did Not Invalida | Blog | Employee Benefit Plans | Services | Baker Newman Noyes

February 3, 2014 IRS Rules That Failure to Attach 83(b) Election to Form 1040 Did Not Invalidate the Election Posted By In Private Letter Ruling 201405008 , the Internal Revenue Service recently ruled that a Section 83(b) election was valid in spite of the fact that it was not attached to the taxpayer's personal tax return for the year of the election. In general, under Code Section 83(b), taxpayers can elect to be taxed currently on the excess of the value of property that they receive over the amount that they pay for it, even if their interest in the property has not yet vested.  If the property subsequently increases in value, this election can be very valuable by resulting in appreciation being taxed at capital gains rates that might otherwise be taxed as ordinary income.  Code Section 83(b)(2) states that the election "shall be made in such manner as the Secretary prescribes and shall be made not later than 30 days after the date of such transfer."  Regulations Section 1.

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What Is An 83(b) Election and When Do I Make It? - Accelerated Vesting - Accelerated Vesting

What Is An 83(b) Election and When Do I Make It? - Accelerated Vesting – Accelerated Vesting

Startup Law Explained What Is An 83(b) Election and When Do I Make It? [Part 1 – With Graphic!] February 26, 2013 What’s an 83(b) election, and when is it a good thing to do? Great question, and one every entrepreneur, founder, contractor, or anyone else trading work for equity should know the answer to. In this two-part post, I’ll first explain what the 83(b) election is, then I’ll walk through a situation where making the election makes good sense, and in the second installment I’ll walk through a situation in which making the election wouldn’t make sense (and some other considerations that might prevent you from making it). And with that, off we go. As a basic starting point, when you’re given equity in a company as compensation you have to pay taxes on it the same way you have to pay taxes on any other income. When it comes to how much you pay, the IRS is going to calculate your tax liability based upon the fair market value of the equity at the time it’s transferred to you.

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83(b) Elections For Dummies

83(b) Elections For Dummies

First, a few basics: • If you have stock options, you do not need to file an 83(b) Election Form. • If you purchased/received founder's stock and there are no restrictions, such as vesting, you do not need to file an 83(b) Election Form.   Here is why you want to file an 83(b) Election:   Let's give an example to show the consequences of not filing an 83(b) election: • You own 10% of the stock of your startup. It vests over 4 years, or 25% per year. • You purchased this stock for $100 (fair market value) on January 1 of Year 1. • During Year 1, the Company raised some outside financing that values the company at $10M. • At the end of Year 1, the value of the Company is $10M and the value of your stock is worth $1M. • You have about $250K in taxable income in Year 1 ( [value of Company at year-end, $10M less value of Company at beginning of year, $1K] * ownership percentage, 10% * vesting % in Year 1, 25%). • You owe about $100K in Federal and State taxes.

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Always File Your 83(b)

Always File Your 83(b)

The Race Against The 83(b) Clock

There are three practical issues with filing an 83(b).

  • There is no such form on the IRS website. It's not there. The good news is that most companies that allow their employees to exercise stock options early will also provide you with an 83(b) form, which covers the necessary fields and signatures. Your 83(b) election form can typically be found in your option agreement document.
  • There is a time limit. You have 30 days from the date of exercise to get your 83(b) election form to the IRS. There is no grace period. If ever there was a time to send a hard copy via certified mail with a return receipt, this is it. As with everything tax-related, documentation is your friend.
  • File your 83(b) form with your annual 1040. You should plan to send a copy of your 83(b) election with your 1040 return filed in the year you purchased the stock. Unfortunately this will preclude you from filing your 1040 electronically, but the potential tax savings more than justifies the inconvenience.

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Friday, March 20, 2015

Tax Topics - Topic 458 Educator Expense Deduction

Tax Topics - Topic 458 Educator Expense Deduction

Topic 458 - Educator Expense Deduction If you are an eligible educator, you can deduct up to $250 ($500 if married filing joint and both spouses are educators, but not more than $250 each) of any unreimbursed expenses (otherwise deductible as a trade or business expense). Qualified expenses are amounts you paid or incurred for books, supplies, computer equipment (including related software and services), other equipment, and supplementary materials that you use in the classroom. For courses in health and physical education, expenses for supplies are qualified expenses only if related to athletics. This deduction is for expenses paid or incurred during the tax year. You claim the deduction on line 23 of Form 1040 (PDF) or line 16 of Form 1040A (PDF). You are an eligible educator if, for the tax year: You are a kindergarten through grade 12: Teacher Instructor Counselor Principal, or Aide,

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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Sprint Community: Paying twice for first month's service - don't make the same mistake I did

Sprint Community: Paying twice for first month's service - don't make the same mistake I did

: Please enter a title. You can not post a blank message. Please type your message and try again. 5 Replies Latest reply : Sep 29, 2012 5:00 PM by 14KNIGHT Currently Being Moderated     Before I explain the situation, there are a few facts that are relevant: 1) I joined Sprint on February 18, 2011 at a genuine Sprint store (not reseller).     My first bill, received on February 22 (4 days after joining) clearly showed the following: 1) Prorated charge of $8.03 for the single day of service during the January 19 - February 18 bill cycle 2) "Prepayment" for the full amount of "Next Month"s service during the February 19 - March 18 bill cycle. Words in quotes are directly taken from the bill, if anyone questions my interpretation. This was also confirmed by Sprint support reps. - To recap: My first bill included a prorated charge for my single day of service in the Jan-Feb billing cycle and a prepayment for the entire Feb - Mar billing cycle. My second bill,

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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Safe and Dangerous Places in San Francisco - AOL Travel Ideas

Safe and Dangerous Places in San Francisco - AOL Travel Ideas

Safe and Dangerous Places in San Francisco by Geri Spieler, an AOL Travel ContributorPosted Oct 18th 2010 03:05 PM TEXT SIZE: When planning a vacation to The City by the Bay, probably the last thing on your list of things to think about is areas to avoid. In San Francisco, although it's a terrific vacation destination, there are a few less than desirable spots intrepid travelers need to keep in mind. It's always wise to do your homework before venturing into communities unknown. Below is some advice on the most safe areas and dangerous places in San Francisco. According to CityRating.com , violent crime, when compared to property crimes such as theft or burglary, accounts for just a fraction of the incidents reported in San Francisco. Muggings and robberies are the two most common problems tourists experience when they venture into unfamiliar terrain. You can avoid becoming a target in a highly popular tourist location by remembering to keep wallets and cameras tucked out of sight.

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Thursday, March 5, 2015

The Best Tech Stocks to Buy for 2015 (FB, GOOG, GOOGL, STX, TWTR)

The Best Tech Stocks to Buy for 2015 (FB, GOOG, GOOGL, STX, TWTR)

Welcome! Tech stocks have performed fairly well in 2014: The Nasdaq Composite has slightly outperformed the broader S&P 500, as a number of tech stocks have been among the best performing in the market this year. Those looking to add exposure to technology for 2015 have many options to choose from. Below are four that could reward their shareholders in 2014 -- from established firms to high-flyers, they represent a rough spectrum of different investing styles. Established giant: Google Although it was one of 2013's best-performing large cap tech stocks, search giant Google (NASDAQ: GOOG     ) (NASDAQ: GOOGL     ) has struggled this year, and for good reason. From virtually every angle, things appear to be going against the search giant: Nikesh Arora, Google's longtime chief business officer, left for Softbank Facebook (NASDAQ: FB     ) is moving into search Samsung, one of Google's largest handset partners, has seen its share of the smartphone market plunge Xiaomi,

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Tech Stocks to Buy 2015: This Winner's Up 53% with Room to Run - NASDAQ.com

Tech Stocks to Buy 2015: This Winner's Up 53% with Room to Run - NASDAQ.com

Tech Stocks to Buy 2015: This Winner's Up 53% with Room to Run By Money Morning ,  January 22, 2015, 05:11:38 PM EDT Money Morning 's Defense and Tech Specialist Michael Robinson just told readers about one of the best tech stocks to buy now - and it's actually the second time he's recommending the stock. That's how good the potential is. Robinson first told his readers about this tech stock in July 2013. At the time, it had a share price of just $23.87. Today, the stock opened at $36.56. That's a 53% gain in just 18 months. But Robinson said this tech stock still has huge upside... One of the Best Tech Stocks to Buy for 2015 The stock we're talking about is not a flashy new startup, but an industry veteran that's deeply involved in some of the sector's biggest trends... Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC ). Robinson traveled to the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2015 earlier this month and saw for himself firsthand. "One of the highlights of my trip to CES was the Intel pavilion,

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3 Outstanding Tech Stocks to Buy Now - NASDAQ.com

3 Outstanding Tech Stocks to Buy Now - NASDAQ.com

By InvestorPlace Media ,  January 29, 2015, 10:35:13 AM EDT By Louis Navellier, Editor, Blue Chip Growth If one thing is certain, 2015 will see a far more volatile market than we've seen for the past seven years. The underlying issue to growing volatility is that central banks that were once stimulating in unison are now going their own ways. Big players could count on central banks' single-minded stimulus policies to determine their investments as the world dug out together. Now, the central banks are moving out of synch with one another, which is causing turmoil with the big money. And the big stocks that were the cash rich kings of safety are now getting hurt as far-flung operations aren't generating the steady revenues they once were since currencies are starting to spiral. But given the strength of the dollar and the fact that the U.S. economy is doing better than all of its peers, the U.S. will remain the best place to invest for some time to come. The twist is,

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What is ETRADE's stock fee per trade?

What is ETRADE's stock fee per trade?


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Monday, March 2, 2015

My Cash Transfer Hub: E-Trade Complete Savings Account -- My Money Blog

My Cash Transfer Hub: E-Trade Complete Savings Account — My Money Blog

My Cash Transfer Hub: E-Trade Complete Savings Account April 26, 2009 By Jonathan Ping 33 Comments If you have your cash spread out across several bank accounts, whether it’s to help with chasing higher interest rates, paranoia, or saving for different goals, it can become quite a hassle to transfer money between accounts. I get asked all the time about how I juggle them all. Part of my solution is to utilize the E-Trade Complete Savings account to connect them all together. This is basically E-Trade’s version of the online savings account which I’ve had for years. From my experience, the interest rate goes up and down (it is currently a so-so 1.20% APY), but it works very well for me as my bank “transfer hub”. What are some important things to look for in such an account? Basics and Cost To start off, you’ll want a bank that offers a very low minimum balance and no monthly fees. A decent interest rate would be good,

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