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By Haywood Dickerson

 The last ten years has seen massive wealth growth in the United States. This brings up the issue of wealth planning, particularly from a tax perspective.

Got Wealth?

There is little doubt that the overall wealth of a significant percentage of Americans has grown like a weed in your garden over the last 10 years. There are a variety of reasons for this growth. Real estate appreciation has set historical records. Stock options are creating massive paper wealth, while also creating tax nightmares. Demographically, a bulge in our population, the baby boomers, are reaching retirement age. Regardless of the reason, wealth planning is becoming a big issue for many people.

Wealth planning strategies tend to be very detail oriented. They also tend to be an option only for certain situations. As a result, you need to speak with a professional regarding each particular strategy to determine if they are of assistance to your situation. These techniques are not universal solutions like stuffing money into a 401k, so don’t take them as such. Let’s take a look at one popular strategy.

Once wealth planning strategy that is very popular deals with real estate. The strategy focuses on making a fixed asset, the equity in your home, grow. Many homeowners do not realize that the equity in their home is not growing. Instead, it is the value of your home that grows, which creates ADDITIONAL equity. Let’s look at an example.

Assume I own a home worth $1,000,000 and have $500,000 in equity. The equity is just sitting there. It does not grow. If the value of the home drops to $900,000, I still have the same amount of equity. If the home appreciates by $100,000, I get an additional $100,000 in equity because the house increased in value, not because my original $500,000 grew in any way. If you can get your mind around this concept, you will realize the problem.

The strategy for this situation involves turning the equity in your home into a growing asset without taking on any additional risk. The process is very simple, but a masterful one. You refinance the home to remove as much of the equity as possible. The equity is then put into no risk custom life insurance product. It grows tax free in the product, which is based on the performance of the stock market. If the stock market has a negative annual return, the insurance policy is tailored to eliminate the risk by setting your annual gain or loss at zero. Put another way, if the market loses 10 percent this year, you lose nothing.

This simple strategy is a tremendous way to double the wealth you gain on your home. Instead of just being happy with the appreciation, you get both appreciation and the tax free gains in the insurance policy. In laymen’s terms, this lets you leverage your property for double gains.

Wealth planning strategies are very subject specific. The above one works with real estate, but no other subject. To identify the best solutions for your situation, you should consult with a top tax attorney, financial planner or accountant.

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Mistakes to Avoid When Refinancing an Auto

By Haywood Dickerson

 If you are considering the purchase of your first car or even your next vehicle if you’re not a first time car buyer, you may be concerned about the prospect of financing your vehicle. This concern is not totally unfounded. There are numerous pitfalls that can occur when financing a new vehicle, especially if you plan to use dealership financing. In order to avoid running into these problems, and possibly stalling your purchase read the tips below.

First, understand exactly how important your credit score is to your auto loan application. Even when working with a dealership loan department, be aware that your credit history will be run and your credit score will have a major impact on your ability to obtain an auto loan as well as the terms you are offered. Ideally, it is best to stay on top of things and get an idea of the condition of your credit history yourself before you even step foot into the dealership. Look to make sure there are no errors on there that could be dragging down your score. If your credit score is not in great condition and it is not due to errors, consider delaying the purchase of a vehicle until you can clean it up by paying down some other debts and improving your bill payment schedule; both of which will help to raise your credit score. Remember, a low credit score can prevent you from getting a better interest rate as well as the loan itself.

Many people make a list before they go shopping to ensure they won’t spend more than they intended. A similar technique can help to ensure you won’t spend more than you can afford while car shopping. Make a list of what you’re looking for in a vehicle, the features that are important to you and set a price range you can afford to spend. Keep in mind that you should not plan to spend more than 20% of your monthly income.

Take the time to do your research and understand current interest rates as well as the price range for the features you have determined are important to you. This will help you to be better educated and less likely to be taken advantage of when it comes time to discuss terms of the loan.

Be aware of your options. Find out whether any rebates or special offers are available for the cars that interest you.

Never, ever sign anything unless you have gone over the purchase contract with a fine tooth comb. Far too often, extraneous charges will be tacked on that may not be really necessary. If you’re not sure of the reason for a charge, ask before you agree to pay it.

Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into anything. If you need more time to think, take it. Walk out of the dealership, think about it and make your decision on your own time. Salesmen are excellent at driving up the pressure and creating an inflated sense of ‘time is of the essence’ but that doesn’t mean you have to fall for it.

By doing your research ahead of time, knowing what you want and what you can afford to pay for it while maintaining a cool head you will be in a better position to purchase the car you want without running into any pitfalls that could cost you big in the long run.

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Are We Heading for a Cashless Society?

By Raul Levine

 Many people believe that eventually, and sometime in the not so distant future, no one will carry cash in their pockets, and everything will be purchased using plastic. Others think that will happen around the same time that people start driving around in space cars, or when we have domesticated robot maids to clean our homes and make our meals. Whether it becomes a reality or not, it’s quite possible to live almost cashless in our current society!

Think about it. When you get gas, almost every gas station has a pay at the pump option. Grocery stores, department stores and almost anyplace where there is a cash register can accept credit or debit cards, and you can even pay your waiters a tip from your card when dining at the restaurant. Fast food and drive through windows are even accepting debit or credit cards, now! So, if a person truly wanted to stop carrying cash all together, it would just about be possible by using debit cards, prepaid credit cards or regular credit cards to handle all of your financial transactions.

As with any choice there are advantages associated with going “cashless” or not, as well as disadvantages. Using cash requires an in person transaction. You shouldn’t mail cash through the postal service, as it’s very easily stolen, and you are unable to purchase online using cash. Cash however, helps maintain anonymity when you buy items or pay for services, where as a credit card reveals information about you to the vendors that you may not want them to have. Privacy is a concern, and using plastic means there is a chance for fraud or identity theft.

A problem many people have with credit cards is over spending. It’s very easy to spend more than what your budget allows when you aren’t counting out the actual cash and seeing the hard earned money leave your hands. The “I’ll pay it later” is much easier than saving money for that expensive purchase, and most of the time, something comes up that prevents us from paying it completely when “later” actually arrives. When using plastic for purchases, however, you are less likely to drop your card on the floor while pulling out one of your other credit cards like what often happens with cash. Have you ever stood behind someone in the grocery store line, and as they’re reaching in their wallet or purse for a $20, another couple of bills happens to fall out? Losing cash means it’s gone forever (unless some really nice soul sees it happen and gives it back to you!) but you do have some additional security when your credit cards are stolen.

The biggest disadvantage of going cashless is the amount of interest you’ll pay when you don’t pay off your balances at the end of each month. It may be extremely convenient to swipe your card everywhere you go, but when your statement comes you better hope you have enough to cover it or else each of your purchases are going to cost you well more than the price tag indicated!

Deciding whether to carry cash or go “cashless” is a personal decision for now, as we still have the ability to use both. It’s hard to say whether or not we will ever be forced to use only plastic, but you can bet if the credit card companies have their way we will become a cashless society! Until then, become familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of each option, and decide which will work for your personal financial habits and discipline.

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