Many stay at home moms spend hours upon hours finding, printing, and organizing coupons. I've given that up since it is a time waster. Instead I use the price book along with high value coupons. It gives me the most savings with the least effort. I brought my own bags (10 cents), used a BOGO for Starbucks ($1.89), used a Green Fest coupon ($1 off toilet paper), and a Facebook coupon for a free pizza ($2.50). I saved $5.49 simply by collecting only high value coupons and living my day as I normally would.
For the last 4 weeks, I had $3,713.98 in alternative income streams! Be sure to join the programs in the sidebar and make money with me! Also order my seminars ~ Thriving in a Jobless Economy and Computerized Tools for Profitable Investing!
Substantially equal payments. If you want to turn your retirement money into an income stream before you’re too old, you can do it with the help of what the IRS calls rule 72t. This allows you to dodge the penalty as long you take the money out in “substantially equal” payments over your remaining lifespan or that of you and a beneficiary.
There’s even a loophole within this loophole. The payments don’t’ really have to stretch over your remaining lifespan. You’ve satisfied the IRS if the payments last five years or until age 59½, whichever comes later. After that you can take out as much or as little as you want.
There are a handful of ways your withdrawals can qualify as “substantially equal” in the eyes of the IRS, and they can get complicated. The web abounds with 72t calculators to help you sort things out, but you might want to double check the formula you settle on with a tax advisor.
While government statistics distort reality and the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates artificially low, the common folk are getting squeezed. I talked about rising food prices before, but now I have more anecdotal evidence of inflation.
I jumped on the Indiana Toll Road for the first time in about 2 months and found a 20% increase at the toll plaza! As a matter of fact, since being privatized, the trip across Indiana has gone from $4.65 to $8.
Cotton prices have also ballooned in the last month. I'm using the cotton ETN in the graph below.
You cannot ask for a better situation as far as energy supply in the USA. Based on an energy equivalent basis, crude oil and natural gas prices should have a 6 to 1 ratio. However, due to various market characteristics (lots of natural gas supply and lower demand due to unoccupied homes), the ratio is 17:1. In other words, we should get our 18 wheelers and power plants on natural gas ASAP. Pickens Plan
Why aren't we? Another conspiracy by the Republicrats to keep us dependent on foreign oil and scare us into endless wars in the Middle East. When will people stand up against this tyranny?
I'm still long GAZ, but I'm getting crushed. This is the only commodity on earth down 34% over a one year time frame!
