Aim To Retire Comfortably, No Matter How Much You Make

Presented by Nick Bautista

 

 

 

 

 

When thinking about saving for retirement it is often forgotten that even if you don’t make a lot of money, you can still retire comfortably. Building saving habits and spending less than you make are some of the keys to success.

Too often I see young people not save any money when they get out of College, and this is usually the slippery slope to bad savings habits. The temptation to spend every penny made is so high that a majority of them don’t start saving until it’s too late. This unfortunately continues into adulthood as the thought of savings gets pushed to the side for a variety of reasons, (house, car, kids, kids’ college, etc.)

 

The principles for pursuing a comfortable retirement boil down to two simple rules.

         1.  Spend less than you make

         2.   Set aside money every paycheck no matter how much it is.

 

Doing both these things can help create good saving habits and help you get better aligned with your financial dreams.

So, think about how much are you saving in retirement; are you spending less than you make?

One of the most Amazing Gift Catalogues in the World!

Presented by Mark Phillips

 

Heifer International's mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth.

It all started with a cow.

Moved by the plight of orphans and refugees of the Spanish Civil War as he ladled out meager rations of powdered milk, Dan West, an Indiana farmer, volunteer relief worker and Church of the Brethren member, grasped that the people needed "a cow, not a cup"—cows that could produce milk so families would not have to depend on temporary aid. From that simple idea, Heifer International was born.

 

 

In 1944, the first cows sent abroad were donated by West's neighbors and distributed throughout Europe following World War II. More than 67 years later, Heifer has expanded its mission, just as it expanded to 30 types of animals it now provides—from goats, geese and guinea pigs to bees, silkworms and water buffalo.
 

Through their Web site Catalogue you can reach out and help change the face of the world through changing the human experience.
 

(Charity Navigator Rating for Heifer Int’l)

How to handle Medical Bill problems

Presented by Mark Phillips

Hiring a medical billing advocate was the best decision for an Arizona couple featured in this L.A. Times article. They learned to manage and reduce their overall medical bills from their son’s hospital visit. When faced with the reality of huge medical bills after a health situation, it may be imperative to have an agency like Medical Billing Advocates of America to help sort and understand what the charges consist of and what your rights are in terms of the law.

Don’t miss this. Read further to learn about other helpful resources and how an advocate can benefit your personal situation.  

Click here for article

Buyer Beware: Tips for Safe Online Shopping

Presented by Mark Phillips

 

Looking for power tools? A vintage Chanel purse? A living-room sofa? Millions of shoppers are bypassing brick-and-mortar stores, as well as their respective websites, in favor of purchasing such items from individual online sellers. For many people, sites like Craigslist and eBay offer a chance to save on everyday items and luxury products, both new and used—all from the comfort of their own homes.

Yet, while online shopping may be a convenient way to find deals and one-of-a-kind items, it’s important to protect your identity and financial information, particularly when dealing with individual sellers. Before you purchase anything listed on an online classified ad, auction, or marketplace site, keep the following precautions in mind.

 

Read the full article...Click here.

The IRS Tax Prep Tool Kit…

Presented by Mark Phillips

As we roll closer to the April 15 date for filing our taxes (or your extension to file) I wanted to share with you a neat web site of tax tools offered by the IRS.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Tools

Everything from free filing software for the do it yourselfer,  a calculator to assist you with setting up payroll withholding accurately, forms to request a copy of an old tax return, and many tools/forms for small business owners as well. These and many other tools may prove useful to you throughout the year at various times, not just at this time of the year.

Consider saving this link for future reference on tax issues you may have.

Tax Scams for 2015

Presented by Mark Phillips

As part of our ongoing efforts to help keep your personal information as safe as possible, we want to remind you to stay on the lookout for the many e-mail, text message, and voicemail scams making the rounds in cyberspace today.

Tax return scammers are starting their season early! Recent fraudulent activity has involved e-mails and phone calls claiming to come from the IRS regarding tax refunds. Some fraudsters have been asking for sensitive refund information over the phone or using e-mails stating that someone has filed for the recipient’s refund and that he or she needs to click a (malicious) link if he or she did not file for it. Common characteristics of the scams include:

· The criminal may use a fake or common name and make up taxpayer identification information.

· The scammer may know certain information about the recipient, such as the last four digits of the recipient’s social security number or personal e-mail address.

· The scammer may spoof his or her phone number so that appears to be the IRS’s toll-free number and mimics actual IRS calls—complete with phone conversations going on in the background.

· The criminal may follow up phone calls with e-mails to appear legitimate.

· The scammer may threaten the recipient and scare him or her into falling for the scheme. Such threats may include driver license revocation, pretending to be a police officer, and so on.

Any phone calls or e-mails regarding your tax refund or that contain the characteristics listed above should automatically raise a red flag. Do not provide any information to the caller, click on any links, or open any attachments.

What to do if you receive a suspicious e-mail or phone call
If you receive an e-mail or phone call asking for information regarding your tax refund, please delete it from your inbox immediately—or hang up on the caller—and don’t click on any links, open any attachments, provide any information, or reply to the sender. Links and attachments could potentially install malicious software onto your computer, and the sender or caller could use your personal sensitive information to steal your identity or actual tax refund.

Protect yourself
Keep in mind the following if you receive any suspicious phone calls or e-mails regarding your tax return:

1. As noted above, don’t click on any links or attachments within an e-mail.
2. Do not provide any information to the sender or caller if it is asked for. Immediately hang up or delete the e-mail.

3. Call the IRS at 866.562.5227 if you are unsure of the legitimacy of an e-mail or phone call.

4. Prepare and file your tax returns as early as possible. This will take away the scammer’s ability to file and steal your return. This will also help you in detecting whether a call or e-mail is fraudulent or not. If someone claims you need to provide him or her with information to file your return, and you have already filed your return, you will know that the request is fraudulent!

5. If you access a dangerous attachment or link, and believe a password-stealer is running on your computer, get in touch with a technology specialist.
6. All unsolicited e-mails concerning password or account changes to any of your online accounts—especially unsolicited e-mails that contain attachments—should be considered scams until verified. Open a new browser and log in directly to the account in question to check the situation.

7. Refer to the IRS’s “Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2015” to get the 12 most common scam types that have seen going around.

Rest assured that we are always concerned about information security. If you have any questions, please contact us at 949.333.6394

What Stories Do You Like to Tell

Presented by Mark Phillips

 

From our favorite illustrator of all things elated to behavioral finance, Carl Richards, comes the latest post of the above title. As with so many of Carl’s insights this is worth our consideration.

We are so easily prone to telling ourselves a story that supports us doing what we emotionally want to do, and then looking for the evidence to justify what we are wanting to or have done. This is an incideous process, it begins happening within us long before we become conscious that our emotions are manipulating our logic centers of the brain.

As always, Carl offers one of his hand drawn pictures…. Enjoy, and allow this to challenge your reasoning for the choices you are making.

Click here or on the title above to access the drawing and article.