#just think of them as gift cards that change in value depending on the health of the company

[thepowerisyouth]

This started as a simple rant about gift cards but is probably turning into my master post on the lost story of the corporate gift card valuation crisis.

Starts as the simple rant but gets more technical in economics and accounting as it goes on- so fair warning.

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Gift cards are often thought of as a boring, low effort gift, although more polite than cash. Plenty of good reasons why they are a bad gift from a thoughtfulness standpoint, but I'm going to focus on the financial value.

Adult humans that live under capitalism are generally, learnedly able to understand the time value of money, even if they cant physically execute the calculations on paper. If you dont believe me, just trust me-- its how all of economics works. We are generally able to value things very well according to our own subconscious estimations.

This is not to say people who receive a gift card are just focused on the dollar figure, however I think the financial frustration lies with the fact that, inherently a $25 gift card is worth less than $25 cash. Probably a lot less

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As a present, gift cards remind me, actually, of the stereotype of a grandparent buying their descendents, "war bonds", but somehow gift cards are even worse.

Sorry this is going to be a long explanation of why gift cards suck--

A war bond, which is now simply called a US Treasury bill or bond, is a 'redeemable certificate', which allows the current owner to be sure that the dollar amount (face value) shown on the certificate will be granted, plus interest accumulated from the point of issue until the present date, and the note is redeemable early in most common cases, and is redeemable at most banks or financial institutions around the world. Well... they might not now but they are supposed to

Section 1. Bond overviews

These Treasury bonds are just debt that the US government, i.e. the taxpayers, have to pay back to whoever purchased this bond.

Economics is intended to be confusing to understand, an example of this being how they love to make it hard to understand that every time you hear about bonds and interest rates they are talking about gambling with our public taxpayer debt. Calling it "buying bonds" makes it seem more normal investy stuff

Anyway-- so this is debt right? Well like all debt, it requires a good credit score, and collateral. The official term is "backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government"

In summary of this section using numbers:

If you get a treasury bond that says $100 & 5% annual interest, the Treasury department guarentees you can receive $100 amount in the future (maturity date), as well as $5 per year for your troubles, unless the US government is toast at any point.

If the holder sells the bond prematurely on the 'secondary market'--which is the clever term for the stock market for bonds-- they might get more or less than the "face value" depending on current interest rates, if those current rates differ from the interest rate set on the bond at hand.

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Section 2: Basic Bond Valuation

So using previous example, the face value of $100, and that only comes back from the treasury department on maturity day (up to 30 years away now for long term bonds)

So in the meantime, people "trade" (gamble most of the time) those bonds on the market. Cause why the fuck not?

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Most of the time, in a non inflationary environment, bonds with expiration dates of less than 5 years do not change price much at all in this 'secondary market'.

Why? Well--

In an inflationary environment (only recent examples are 1970s & 2020s) most bonds are decreasing in value, with the lowest interest rate bonds decreasing the most. Every other period has bond prices generally flat (so you still get the 5% interest) or trending up

The economic mechanics behind what lowers bond prices in high interest rate environments is pretty simple-- if I have a 30 year loan the government owes me, with 5% annual interest, and the guy who bought the same 30 year bond back in 2017 only got 2% interest, then I have an inherently more valuable loan or bond.

Going to start circling back to gift cards-- A 0% bond is only worth more than a negative interest bond.

(looking at you japan they were briefly paying banks 0.5% interest to borrow money from the government. As in a -0.5% interest loan)

Okay gift cards time

$25 Gift card = corporate bond of face value $25, with 0% interest, and is only redeemable in person at the companies restaurant with immediate purchase of their product

A gift card is identical then to the boring "war bond" gift, except that:

1) it can only be redeemed at their limited locations in person, and only with immediate purchase of their product or service

2) this certificate does not accrue any interest, which means that from a value standpoint its guarenteed to lose value over time unless interest rates are below 0% like japan had

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Again, most people are very capable of understanding that the value of a 0% corporate bond which cannot be easily sold is worth less than the face value-- much less. Just most people probably dont have the experience in finance to put to words why exactly that situation is so frustrating from a financial standpoint

What a stupid gift, cash is way better.

Especially in an inflationary environment like the 2020s. my god the valuation loss of all the gift cards recently is incalculablely enormous

It would be a very snarky, not nice response to being gifted a gift card if the receiver replies back that the technical market value of this $25 gift card is actually $14.75 due to the current globally high interest rate environment in addition to the company having a BBB Moody's credit rating rather than a perfect AAA

I'm very, very tempted to do a sample valuation of a random hypothetical gift card to reinforce this point, but valuations arent quick and I already know it would take me half the day just researching the numbers to put together for it

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I had no idea I was going to have this much to say but we're on edit #4 to this post Im gonna keep going:

The inflation of the 2020s has led to the largest (by dollar value and probably other metrics) corporate bond valuation crash of the.. ever

But corporate bonds are mostly held by the upper middle class & higher, as well as other corporations. So of course we hear them crying about their loss of wealth. Easiest example can be found by looking for the annual returns on an ETF which trades only corporate bonds. They got fucked in 2021 and arent back yet

What I'm getting at is that most poor people do not own individual bonds-- its just not really something that makes sense as a poor person.

Back to poor people's wealth--

Someone who has a retirement funds might invest in corporate bonds through that fund. But dont get me started on how complicated those funds investment strategies are to mitigate the risk (but yes they arent good at risk mitigation lose value a lot from dumb preventable mistakes).

And also looking at 5 yr price charts for many retirement funds, the ones with more corporate bond holdings have done way worse than their peers in the retirement fund game who put more money in stocks over that period

Poor people do, however, give each other gift cards... a lot. Weve kind of been told for a long time that its a more appropriate gift than cash. I wonder whod want us to think that. Maybe the corporations who are getting away with selling hard-to-redeem junk bonds as "gift cards"?

Likewise with all corporate bonds lately, the total balance of gift cards issued & held by the general public is larger than it has ever been in prior decades like the 1970s. There was issues with gift cards then, just the total amount was much, much less

Except probably not anymore-- only the face value being reported on their financial statements is that high, as accounting standards do not require companies to regularly value their gift card balances at market value. They are allowed to report it at face value, until it is removed from their balance sheet and resolved as pure income. Not 100% sure the GAAP guidance for it, but I know they dont HAVE to specifically mark down gift cards as they dont have expiration dates. I know that if a company did need to mark down that debt balance for whatever reason, the only way to lower that balance is by calling it "other income".

So poor people have felt a multi-billion dollar loss of wealth from gift card values, which is obviously not ever going to be studied or talked about cause who the fuck cares about poor people

And when that loss does get "realized" from an accountant standpoint-- it would be considered income for the fucking corporations.

Actually reminds me of Starbucks class action about the gift card balance. Lot to dig into there but thats more because of their extra predatory practices around redeeming it

[ninja-scenarios]

Yandere!Orochimaru headcanons + scenario

Someone asked: “Can we please have some yandere Orochimaru trying to win over a very soft spoken, kind hearted, 'mom friend's crush? Preferably Headcanons please and thank you (Orochimaru is bae)”

AHhh thank you, I needed an Oro request so badly lol <3

I went overboard with this again TT___TT

(PS: Oro is life, Oro is love)

- at first Orochimaru would wonder at why he´s interested in someone who´s so kind and caring, since he always thought to be only attracted by power. No matter how hard he tries, Orochimaru will notice that he can´t ban them from his thoughts. Also, why does everything they do seem to make him feel happy? It´s annoying, really! Gradually, the wise Ninja will stop trying to figure out the reason for his crush and will rather focus on how to capture them make them his. It´s nice to own something so pure and innocent

- a lot of observing. His crush will probably get monitored 24/7 until Orochimaru knows every single detail about their life. With who they talk to, if they brush their teeth with their right or left hand, everything they eat and even who walked by their house. Total surveillance

- Orochimaru is very confident, lso he would try to appeal with his strength, saving them from dangerous situations or offering to help with his knowledge. Should these situations not appear naturally, then he will CREATE them

- he hates seeing them caring for others. No matter their nature, they shouldn´t be too close to someone else!

- oh how pleasant it feels when they slowly start melting for him. Suddenly Orochimaru is greeted by a smile every time they “randomly” walk into the wise Sannin on the streets or with a shy “Hello, Orochimaru-sama.” (I`m sure they´ll call him Sama just out of respect, it´s always been my very own headcanon). He can´t help the smirk

- Orochimaru knows how gorgeous, charming and irresistible he is, yet he also knows not to play out every good card at once. A genuine smile here, a gentle touch there, maybe even a small sweet kiss… His crush will be falling head over heels in absolutely no time!

- if his crush owns any pets, they will probably sense what Orochimaru is up to and hate him. Remember, everything in the way will get eliminated - “Don´t cry, my dear. You can have lots of new pets once you´ve moved in. I´ll tell Kabuto to fetch a pup or maybe you can finally become friends with the snakes… Now, stop sobbing. I told you nothing in this world lasts forever, only you and me.”

- because perfection is something Orochimaru worked hard to (not fully yet) achieve, he won´t try to change himself to appeal to his crush. They will eventually get to love him for who he is. Still, being the sly scientist he is, he´ll be on his very best behaviour around them: always helpful, nice, thoughtful, kind and patient. Once his crush finally falls for him, Orochimaru will slowly but surely loosen up a bit on his manners and start neglecting them and playing a little hard to get in order to make them fall even harder

- I´m not even sure if Orochimaru will value gifts from his crush. He´ll also have a hard time giving them gifts or celebrating their birthday with them, probably only congratulating. Orochimaru´s wooing is all about psychology and the right timing

- we all know Orochimaru possesses some serious psychology skills, so he won´t rest until he finds out how his crush´s mentality works in order to predict their actions to certain situations and have complete control over them. If necessary, also to crush them in an instant

- “love” and “possession” are two things that he considers very close and almost inseparable (we´re talking about a yandere!Oro, not a Boruto-era!Oro). So the thought of them turning the great ninja down is not acceptable

- therefore, should the crush already have a partner or a love interest, they´re gonna get eliminated before you can say “let´s get this bread”. Orochimaru thinks that it´s no use trying to unnecessarily compete against someone else if they can easily be taken care of. It would come in handy anyway

- you can bet Orochimaru has made several plans on how to lure them make them fall in love with the Sannin. It´s okay if they´ll take time but every move of his, every appearance, every word and every action around his crush are serving a purpose

- if nothing seems to work out or simply to expedite the plans, Orochimaru will try to isolate his crush and possibly give them a reason to suffer in order to search for protection and comfort in his arms…

- Orochimaru lost many people in his life, so he´ll ensure his crush to never leave him, ever. This means that he´ll probably destroy the place they could go back to, their family and friends. It also means that whenever their health starts dropping, he´ll be really worked up about it and Kabuto won´t get a single free minute to himself until the poor boy has nursed them back to health

- Orochimaru will also try to make his crush emotionally dependent on him. A few examples I can imagine would contain making them wake up every time they´re trying to sleep without him. He´ll probably order some of his subordinates to secretly wake them every half an hour with a small noise until they decide to come to Orochimaru for the night. He´ll let that continue until they willingly sleep in his bed every night. Not to be misunderstood, Orochimaru doesn´t even want to sleep with them every night, he just needs to know that they´re dependent on him

- from the start, it´s not the idea of having sex with his crush that motivates Orochimaru. He´s not a very affectionate person and possibly won´t sleep with them much at all, it´s all about possession

- once his crush is his, Orochimaru will probably put a seal on them that prevents them from going too far from him or physically do something he told them not to. “There are certain rules you need to follow from now on, my dear. It´s all for your own protection. Never speak to others. Don´t try to harm yourself. And most importantly, don´t linger somewhere too far away. You´re smart enough to see these orders are valid, don´t you, my love?”

Also, here comes a small scenario because my Oro-loving-ass is too starved to turn down this opportunity!

Pairing: Yandere!Orochimaru x Female!Crush

It was truly tiring, having to accomplish each task her Taichō had assigned to the young woman. Being a Jōnin was something she had imagined to be quite different because gathering information about some ancient clan wasn´t something she enjoyed much. It was very strange how her Taichō bombarded her with one order after the other lately…

Delaying her duties for as long as possible, she took a detour to the sparsely visited library and stopped by the busy, sunlit market to fetch some snacks for Panda. The small cat sat neatly in her jacket and accompanied her throughout most of the day.

Finally arriving in the library, she warmly greeted Hisuke, a man her age that she´d practiced with back in their academy days. Making sure to tell Panda to keep silent, the Kunoichi stopped in front of the towering bookshelves of the clan-related section. The first few hours were spent finding books that had any information on it at all. So much, she had only found three. Letting out a sigh, the young woman looked up from the pile and considered going over to ask the owner for help. There had been a lot of times where he had explicitly not been of help, but maybe he´d this time.

Just as she felt desperate enough to walk over to the owner, suddenly someone else entered the library. She recognized him instantly and greeted the wise Ninja with a very sweet smile. “Hello, Orochimaru-sama! You should be outside enjoying the sunshine and not spend your time with work like me.”

His eyes affectionately smiled down at her. “The old Sandaime wants me to fetch scrolls for him.” The corners of his mouth curled upwards into a smile. “Well, my dear, what is your excuse?”

She felt proud that he even cared about her business, that he asked. With a shy smile she told him about the assignment and Orochimaru tilted his head to the side to think, as if he didn´t know about every one of her orders.

“Let me see… I was studying about that clan when I was at the academy.”

“Oh, really?” Her excitement is tangible like a happy bubble.

“Let me show you, my dear.” Orochimaru teaches her about this and that, about the clan like a wise professor. Like someone she can open her heart to, someone that will protect her and keep her safe. How wrong she is. When Orochimaru ends his patient lecture and she took enough notes, there´s suddenly someone passing very closely by their table. Orochimaru lays an arm around her protectively, to pull her closer into his cold chest and at a safe distance with the possible collision.

The blush on her cheeks tells him that she enjoys it. And even though it´s her adoration he notices, there´s an unfamiliar tug at the Sannin´s alleged heartstrings. Usually, the Sannin would pull back immediately but the library happens to be dead empty with just the two of them. It´s the best chance. His cold yet elegant fingers brush over the sensitive skin on her neck before he strokes a strand of hair behind her ear. Just when he is about to go further, there suddenly is an angry hiss followed by a tiny monster arm leaping lunging at him from within her jacket.

She jumps backwards and scolds the tiny monster cat in her jacket, which glares daggers at Orochimaru. Mh, this pet is a real nuisance, he thinks. There´s anger boiling up inside. It was the perfect opportunity, the perfect change… His fists clench without thinking, yet he relaxes them just in time.

“Orochimaru-sama, I´m so sorry! Surely Panda didn´t mean to harm you.”

He will have to give her another assignment. One that lures her to an even more isolated place.

“A lovely cat, indeed.”

Yes, indeed.

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.

Editors Note: Another article from R. Ann Parris to The Prepper Journal. As always, if you have information for Preppers that you would like to share then enter into the Prepper Writing Contest with a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift Cards with the top prize being a$300 card to purchase your own prepping supplies!

Drink mixes can check a lot boxes for us in both prepper pantries and bug-out/evac situations. Electrolyte drinks, vitamin and protein boosters, and meal replacement mixes would get top billing as a prepper supply, but instant mixes span far and wide. We have nearly endless options when it comes to stocking drink mixes, right on local supermarket shelves.

*I expect some “bah” with any article, especially the must-have’s and “frilly” subjects. If we go “bah” at every other concept in this article, please read and consider the sections on fiber and supportive care.

Caffeine

Related to fiber, remember: Caffeine isn’t just a night-watch or feel-good luxury. If we’re accustomed to caffeine and suddenly limit or eliminate it, our guts are likely to stop up.

Fiber

Many Americans are already lacking fiber in their diets. Eating heavily off gardens and buckets of beans will alleviate it, but if we’re heavily stocked in MREs and just-add-water camping meals – especially for bug-out bags – fiber is a huge issue.

Some tubs and packets of a high-fiber drink mix (NOT a “cleanse) can alleviate those problems, regularly with added benefits.

Gut-health drinks like Culturelle and others can also be a gentle way to ease stomachs during major changes in diet. They can be especially helpful for kids, seniors, and people who already have food sensitivities.

Condensed Calories

Almost all of the examples have a big benefit for preppers, whether we’re working out of pantries or a bag: They boost calories.

Whether we’ve invested in pre-packaged just-add-water food systems or slowly stacking up beans, rice, and wheat, food storage is regularly deficient in calories (and fats).

We have to have energy to get things done.

While many of us have some weight we could lose now, should we ever find ourselves doing more by hand, we’re going to shed some pounds. The gardens many plan to start and the wilds many plan to forage through, short-term on a bug-out or for weeks/months on end, tend to provide mostly lean diet foods. Very few preppers are growing calorie or fat staples.

When you see “diet” and “light” options and weight-loss drinks here, for the most part, they’re being presented as an add-on to our planned food storage meals, and a way to boost BOB supplies and caches without too much space and weight.

Some of the sugar-free and “light” options won’t boost them much, but most boost at least a little.

Feel Goods

Feel-good food supplies aren’t just about feeling “good”. It’s also about health. Personal reactions differ, but sudden changes create stress. Whether we recognize or acknowledge it, that stress affects our bodies and brains.

Pick-me-ups – both on a schedule we and ours can be looking forward to and periodic pop-up surprises – can ease transitions with goodies that would normally be “treats” and by maintaining some normal for households accustomed to a daily non-water drink.

K-Cups have taken over the supermarket aisles where powdered cappuccino types used to live, but those tins and small packets are still out there. Hot cocoa mixes are still prevalent, as are the mostly-just-flavor types that range from things like Nesquik to powdered “iced” tea and lemonade (well … sorta-lemonade and tea).

Electrolytes

There’s a reason the Gators developed their wonder blend. We have to have certain types of salts to function. Labor and heat require replacing those salts more frequently.

Most of us will find ourselves drinking more water and fewer soft drinks if we ever have to rely on our food storage. Even if we’re already mostly drinking water, the foods we’ll have access to will usually shift. That will change the minerals available to our bodies.

If we’re laboring, we’ll push water even more heavily, but “push water” can be a double-edged sword.

When we “dropped” Marines in support fields on exercises and forewarned marches, it wasn’t always from dehydration. Regularly, it was actually that they’d push water, push it enough with little balance, that they flushed the required electrolytes from their systems.

It doesn’t have to be a pricey brand and there are plenty of at-home mixes with ingredients that can be stored for people whose bodies are pure temples. This one is too important to ignore, along with…

Bedside Bottles

In many disasters, supportive care is all we’re going to be able to offer. It’s already sometimes all hospitals can offer, here and now. Sports drinks and alternatives like Pedialyte – or any reasonably balanced drink – can play a major role in that care. We already apply it combating and recovering from illnesses in everyday life with short-term stomach and head flues for both children and adults (and pets).

If for no other reason, snag some tubs of semi-decent drink mixes to stash with the medical supplies.

Protein

As with calories, a lot of food storage is seriously low in protein. Like whey as a protein source, there’s a lot of back and forth on just how much protein we need. Do some balanced research, but if you’re snagging some drink mixes, consider including the higher-protein version or a protein alternative, especially if the price difference isn’t significant.

Many protein shakes are pretty high cal. That adds to their value for sickbed support, jaw injuries, and injuries that prevent us from our usual hunting, livestock and garden and crop care, fishing, or even “just” cooking.

They can also help keep somebody drifting from food fatigue or depression “fed” enough to get them over their slumps and prevent the energy-loss that leads to a spiralling cycle (don’t eat, less energy, less activity, decreased appetite, less energy yet, further decreased activity and appetite, downward and downward).

When comparing options, hit the senior-citizen and diabetic sections of food supplements as well as muscle-building, athletic, and fad-diet aisles. It varies label-by-label, but general meal-replacement, weight-loss, and snack shakes can also regularly be good ways to boost protein, as well as calories and daily-need vitamins.

The calorie and protein energy provided makes those shakes and drink mixes something to also seriously think about for evac kits and bug-out bags, replacing or augmenting things like MREs, camping food, and ration bars that are common go-to’s.

Vitamin Deficiency

Further poking at common food storage, both MRE-type and just-add-water-kit preppers and the beans-and-rice preppers are skirting some vitamin deficiencies. A daily multivitamin can allay many of the factors and stores compactly, but if we can kill two birds with one stone…

Our changing society means there’s a whole wide world of drink supplements. We can go as crazy as we like with green and red juicing alternatives, happy-fad grains, coconut water, and super-foods.

Or, we can scale back and check out some of the old standby’s with a new eye. Many of those quickie drinks, from Hi-C to Hawaiian Punch, Wyler’s at the green-sign dollar stores to Crystal Light, have some valuable vitamins and minerals in them. Options like Slimfast, Boost, and Carnation also tend to check the box for vitamins.

Vitamin C is a big general health boost all on its own and especially in winter and spring, if we face lowered sanitation, and cold and flu seasons. Research where the term “Limeys” came from if you want an idea of just how important Vitamin C is when you’re on a repetitive diet low in fresh foods.

B-Vitamins also have widespread effects. Vitamin D, especially, is one to check for as it affects absorption of calcium and greatly influences brain health.

Buying Considerations

Some drink mixes are only available in single-serve packets. They’re convenient, but there’s a trash/waste aspect. There’s also space efficiency loss with many of the boxed packets. We can absolutely bust them out of boxes to repack more densely, but doing so decreases our ability to donate them later if they’re not something we’ll be rotating through in daily life.

Big-tub sizes tend to be friendlier on the wallet. Depending on family/group size, they can be very reasonable to consume once opened, and we can always repackage in bottle-sized portions for travel bags, and mix single-serve bottles (or jars) to help with portion control when we’re leaning on food storage in a permanent-home setting.

Food storage companies haven’t ignored the expanding interests in drink mixes. Pretty much all labels sell flavored milk substitutes, and most sell some version of a Tang or Kool-Aid level orange drink and apple drink. Some offer expanded options that vary in sugar content and actual vitamins.

When pricing those, make sure to weigh how “worth it” they are and our priorities.

The difference of storage in a steel can or Mylar bag really isn’t all that different from what we’ll get with plastic tubs and packets. #10 and #2.5 cans are a little more moisture and pest resistant, but those aspects are pretty easily mitigated by storing them in Rubbermaid totes or repacking in canning jars.

Supermarket options allow us to sample a smaller size for less outlay, even if the price per serving is much higher. That’s not just about “taste” and personal preferences. Some anti-caking components and certain types of sweeteners, especially, can lead to dry mouth, stomach upset, shaky hands, and headaches for some of us.

We also want to get the most bang for our buck.

Check mixes – especially for shakes – to see what the nutritional content is on its own. Many call for milk. Using water, milk substitutes, and non-fat whey milk can affect what we’re actually consuming.

On the dairy front, also compare apples to apples the common milk and milk-substitute options. Each has pro-con’s we’ll have to weigh, especially when it comes to calories, shelf life, number of same-sized servings per dollar and by can, and ease in mixing.

Protein-supplemented drink mixes and instant juices with actual vitamins tend to be more expensive, but have a great deal to offer. Even the inexpensive options we can snag incrementally from a green-sign dollar stare can make a big difference in health and mentality, though. Instant broth and creamed soups are a whole realm all their own, with their own range of benefits for preppers.

Drink Mixes

Priorities will always differ, as will our individual capabilities. That applies to stocking drink mixes, but they’re worth some consideration. Some rate a place in our pantries just to help maintain norms or transition to a new normal. Some fall into general nutrition and diet. Some offer the ability to soothe a really bad day. Some really shine in a bug-out or high-labor situations. Others have actual medical applications.

Drink mixes might not be an obvious must-have, but they’re too inexpensive, compact, and accessible to ignore.

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from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[classybynina]

90 Most Powerful Secrets in Life.

1. Being great at dealing with people is not an inborn talent. It is made through tons of research and deliberate practice.

2. A big part of emotional intelligence is being able to feel an emotion without having to act on it. Uncontrollable desires make you seem weak, unworthy and pathetic.

3. Don’t ever try to impress people by revealing your secrets or flaunting your achievements, for its effect is often the opposite of what you expected. Stay low-key, stop telling people more than they need to know.

4. Move in silence, never let them know your next move. You are more likely to achieve your goals if you keep them to yourself.

5. Keep your effort and your tricks to yourself and you seem to be an untouchable genius.

6. You must not be afraid of your uniqueness and you must care less and less what people think of you. Confidence is not ‘they will like me’. Confidence is ‘I’ll be fine if they don’t’.

7. If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth to someone, you have already forgotten your value. Let others worry about being socially acceptable; those types are a dime a dozen.

8. Trust yourself more and others less. The only way to survive is to admit you are on your own, learn to make your own decisions, and trust your judgement.

9. Respect people’s feelings. Even if it doesn’t mean anything to you, it could mean everything to them. Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.

10. Set your price high. Even those who turn you down respect you for your confidence, and that respect will eventually pay off in ways you cannot imagine.

11. Don’t underestimate the seductive power of an elaborate vocabulary.

12. Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in the problem.

13. People judge you by appearances, the image you project through your actions, words, and style. Act like a king or queen to be treated like one. If you do not take control of this process, then people will see and define you the way they want to, often to your detriment.

14. You are the king or queen and you ignore what offends you. If you waste time and energy in such entanglements, it is your own fault.

15. If you allow people to feel they possess you to any degree, you lose all power over them. By not committing your affections, they will only try harder to win you over.

16. You need to turn your back on what you want, show your contempt and disdain. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.

17. A fake friend can do more damage than a hundred honest enemies. They hide certain qualities and opinions in order to keep you in their side. They are also more prone to envy and ingratitude. Watch who you trust, betrayals are born through friendship.

18. Don’t ever say anything you don’t want played back to you someday.

19. Individuals are honest only to the extent that suits them (including their desire to please others).

20. Evaluate the people in your life; then promote, demote, or terminate. You’re the CEO of your own life. The smarter you are, the more selective you become.

21. Do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn’t making you stronger, they’re making you weaker. Flee from negative people’s presence or suffer the consequences.

22. Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel, energies are contagious. Surround yourself with those on the same mission as you.

23. Be with really smart people. A group of smart people can often feed off of each other and become more than the sum of their individual parts. If you ever find that you’re the smartest person in the room, you need to find another room.

24. If you have the right of way, take it. Say “no” without explaining yourself. Don’t be afraid to dissapoint. What you allow is what will continue, don’t tolerate bad behaviors.

25. If you need to turn people down, it is best to do so politely and respectfully. Some people’s insecurity and ego fragility cannot tolerate the slightest offense.

26. When people treat you like crap they feel like crap. People aren’t against you; they are for themselves. Don’t take on their internal struggle, send them off with peace.

27. Swallow the impulse to offend, even if the other person seems weak. Never make this mistake of thinking that you elevate yourself by humiliating people.

28. It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself.

29. Don’t argue with negative people, this is part of how they trap you. Silence is the best reply to a fool.

30. Just because some people are fueled by drama doesn’t mean you have to attend the performance.

31. The values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are. What you are today and what you will be in five years depends on two things: the people you meet and the books you read.

32. People may not tell you how they feel about you, but always show you. Train yourself to read people, picking up the signals they unconsciously send about their innermost thoughts and intentions.

33. We all eat lies when our hearts are hungry.

34. There is no point in making a display of your controversial beliefs, opinions and dangerous ideas. Think as you like, but behave like others.

35. If you get tired, learn to rest, not quit. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you don’t quit. Commit yourself to constant improvement.

36. Judge everything by what it costs, not just in money but in time, maintenance, dignity, and peace of mind.

37. Keep your cool and maintain a low profile, patiently building support to your rise to power. Once you learn patience, your options suddenly expand.

38. Never flaunt your wealth, and carefully conceal the degree to which it has bought influence. Consider showing your wealth only on the inside of your house.

39. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.

40. Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies.

41. Excessive praise is an almost sure sign that the person praising you envies you. Once envy reveals itself for what it is, the only solution is often to flee the presence of the enviers, leave your enviers to stew in a hell of their own creation.

42. The feelings of achieving success blinds us the most. Give yourself the space to reflect on what has happened.

43. You need to realize that your moment of triumph is also a moment when you have to rely on competence, strategy and focus all the more.

44. Failure will definitely come to you in your journey to power and success. But if you prepare for the fall, it is less likely to ruin you when it happens.

45. Bad luck teaches valuable lessons about patience, timing, and the need to be prepared for the worst. Good luck deludes you into the opposite lesson, making you think your brilliance will carry you through.

46. Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument. If you’ve made your point, stop talking.

47. Don’t get mad, get distant. No matter how strong you are, fighting endless battles with people is exhausting, costly, and unimaginative.

48. Sometimes silence is the best way to let someone know they did you wrong.

49. The best apology is changed behavior.

50. The world is full of men who despise you and fear your ambition. These people will laugh or disrespect your dreams. You must always be prepared to place a bet on yourself, on your future, by heading in a direction that others seem to fear.

51. No one owes you a great career, you need to earn it—and the process won’t be easy.

52. Quitting a job doesn’t jump-start a dream because dreams take planning, purpose, and progress to succeed. That stuff has to happen before you quit your day job.

53. Keep your friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent. Hiring people who possess skills that you yourself lack is probably one of the wisest decisions you can make.

54. A lack of boundaries invites a lack of respect. All working situations require a kind of distance between people.

55. You destroy an enemy when you make a friend of him. Enemies expect nothing so they will be surprised when you are generous.

56. Don’t judge people. Everyone has a chapter they don’t read out loud. Everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.

57. Take photos or record a video as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone forever.

58. At least once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. Travel makes the world look new, and when the world looks new, our brains work harder.

59. Exercise is the single most powerful tool available to optimize brain function. Everybody knows that exercise creates a fit body, but what many forget is that the brain is part of the body too.

60. Typically, people who exercise, start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and show more patience with colleagues and family. They use their credit cards less frequently and say they feel less stressed. Exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change.

61. Walking gives you energy, makes you happy and enhances your creative thinking.

62. Treat your mental health with the same importance as your physical health.

63. Concentrate on single goal, a single task, and beat it into submission. Power itself always exists in concentrated forms.

64. Give a gift of some sort to those above you. By giving your superior a gift, you are saying that the two of you are equal.

65. Choose your life’s mate carefully and marry only for love and self-development. The right partner is someone who sees more potential in you than you see in yourself, someone who helps you become the best version of yourself.

66. Don’t allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It’s there for our convenience, not the caller’s.

67. Don’t burn bridges. You’ll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.

68. If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: it infects people with awkward energy, elicits embarrassment.

69. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.

70. Count your blessings. When you focus on gratitude, positive things flow in more readily, making you even more grateful.

71. The most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.

72. A strong person doesn’t have an easy past. Many people are destined to be weak because they believe life should always be fun and easy.

73. Incompetence is the result of living in comfort and immediate gratification. Incompetent people never gain a proper sense of self-criticism., have lost contact to reality, and overestimate their abilities.

74. When our emotions are engaged, we often have trouble seeing things as they are. Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective.

75. The more you say, the more common you appear.

76. The more you are seen and heard from, the more your value degrades.

77. Most average self-help books can be summarized into 1 sentence: Good thoughts will bring you good things in life, bad thoughts will bring you bad things.

78. Appear to have no clear strategy. Be like a slippery ball that cannot be held. People feel superior to the person whose actions they can predict.

79. Comfort is the enemy of achievement. You’re only growing when you’re uncomfortable. The more conflicts and difficult situations you put yourself through, the more battle-tested your mind will be.

80. Passion only exists when you are very good at something. Achieving your passion requires work. It’s hard. It’s tasteless. It hurts. It demands entering the pain-zone of effort, risk, and exposure.

81. Failure is the sweat of success. You can’t build your cardiovascular strength without working hard and sweating, and you can’t experience success without failure. We mature with the damage, not with the years.

82. Don’t think of an idea of “perfection”, it will only kill your creative juices. Rather, just take the next small step over and over again. Before you realize it, you have accumulated an empire, better than what you thought might be perfect.

83. Your passion should be an obsession. You should be consumed by solving the problem. Otherwise, you get bored and lose interest. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved.

84. Attitude and talent will not make you great. Greatness exists due to intelligence, practice, dedication, persistence, hard work, good resources and the ability handle mistakes.

85. Don’t miss out on something that could be great just because it could also be difficult.

86. Spend some time alone. Solitude is perhaps the most mental entropy inducing agent in our lives.

87. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. If that is not enough, step outside, get some fresh air, & remind yourself of who you are & who you want to be.

88. You will never have this day again so make it count.

You’re always one decision away from a totally different life.

89. Events in life mean nothing if you do not reflect on them in a deep way, and ideas from books are pointless if they have no application to life as you live it.

90. You may think that what you’d like to recapture from your youth is your looks, your physical fitness, your simple pleasures, but what you really need is the fluidity of mind you once possessed.

[reputationiseverything]

6 Alternatives to Amazon For E-commerce

email marketing design best practices

With a net worth of  $1.7 trillion, Amazon has dominated the e-commerce sector for years, leaving many of its competitors in the shade. But are there alternatives to Amazon?

With an audience as vast as Amazon, small business start-ups and solo entrepreneurs flock to the site to sell the products, get established, and build their enterprises. Despite the audience Amazon offers, you may want to look for other online venues to list your items.

There are many good reasons to broaden your e-commerce horizons.

First, it makes little sense to put all your eggs in one basket. Second, selling on a wider range of marketplaces gets your products in front of a larger audience. And finally, looking at the other choices available could save you money on fees, or get you closer to your target buyers.

Below are some viable alternatives to Amazon. We’ll look at their advantages, their fee structures, and what makes them different.

Why You Should Use an Alternative to Amazon for Your E-commerce Business

We already touched on one of the main reasons to seek other venues: the perils of depending on one sales platform.

It’s not unheard of for sellers to have their accounts blocked. If you haven’t already established yourself on one of the alternatives to Amazon, your business could tank.

However, by setting up multiple accounts with different marketplaces, you’ve got greater flexibility if things go wrong. Plus, you can use other online platforms to test out which ones are the best for your products.

And there are other benefits in finding additional marketplaces, like:

Greater Flexibility 

All e-commerce sales platforms have some measure of control over your business. They determine:

What products you can list

The terms and conditions of doing business

Your payment options

Shipping fees

These terms might not be suitable for your business. So, If you’re looking for greater flexibility, then seeking alternatives to Amazon is a good idea.

Better Customer and Vendor Support

Perhaps you feel the vendor or customer support is lacking. Amazon provides useful resources for sellers, like its university. But some sellers feel seller support is sometimes thin, especially when things go wrong.

More Shipping Options and Lower Fees With Some Amazon Alternatives

Amazon has changed its fee structure over the years, bringing frustration to some.

Amazon sets its professional selling plan at $39.99, with individual plans available free. And referral fees differ, depending on which category you’re selling in.

Shipping is a further reason to consider seeking alternatives as individual sellers on Amazon lack flexibility over their shipping costs.

If you’re looking to cut fees or branch out, then signing with some alternatives to Amazon may allow you to further scale your business while reducing costs.

Amazon Alternative Payment Choices

If you’re a seller on Amazon, you’ll know it makes payment via ACH or electronic funds transfer. Amazon distributes these payments to your bank account every two weeks, and they can take up to five days to clear.

But that doesn’t always work for everyone. If you’re a small business and cash is tight, signing up to e-commerce platforms with a broader range of payment options can improve your cash flow.

What to Look for in an Amazon Alternative

Before you search for alternatives to Amazon, you need to decide what you want from your business. You’ll need to consider the products you’re selling and your target customer, too.

For example, if you’re selling printable products, Etsy could be an excellent choice. Or, if you’re looking for consumers who understand tech, you may find Newegg works well for you.

Other areas you’ll want to think about include:

Ease of Use

Marketplaces that allow you to add items efficiently mean you can list more products in less time. But you’ll want to view any alternatives to Amazon from your customer’s perspective too.

How important is the ease of use? Well, if you note some recent research from Digital Commerce 360 and Bitrate, you’ll see this is a significant factor in the buying decision.

When researching new platforms, perhaps test them out for yourself and consider areas like:

Navigation

Ease of checkout

Payment options

Shipping choices

User Types

Think about your ideal consumer and the type of users the platform attracts. For example, eBay is huge, with 182 million active buyers. It’s great for snapping up limited-time deals, brand name products, and pre-loved items.

However, it’s not always the first place shoppers think of when looking for handmade goods or unique items. They’re more likely to head somewhere like Etsy.

Fees

Fees can take a considerable chunk of your profits if you’re not careful. Depending on the fee structure, some sites may not be suitable if you’re selling smaller, lower value items.

If you need some help in this area, fee calculators are helpful. Here’s a list of the well-known ones.

Best Alternatives to Amazon for E-commerce

What are some of the best Amazon alternatives when you’re looking to sell your products online? Let’s look at some of the top options, in no particular order.

Bonanza

Established in 2007, Bonanza has built itself a loyal following, with a vast range of categories. Sign up is free, and fees are straight forward. Final offer value fees are 3.5 percent for sales under $500. Sales over $500 attract an additional 1.5 percent fee.

Although it’s much smaller than Amazon, Bonanza has some advantages over its larger rival. They include a greater emphasis on building customer relationships and developing a sustainable business through repeat customers.

Equally appealing to sellers is the marketing tools Bonanza provides. These give you access to valuable data about product performance, allowing you to spot trends, optimize listings, and better market your items.

Other features include:

Automatic syncing with eBay, Amazon, and Shopify

Customized marketing tools

Image editing tools

Google integration

High level of customer support.

But what makes Bonanza stand out is its focus on unique items. It’s not trying to be another Amazon. As Bonanza puts it, it’s a site where you’ll find “everything but the ordinary”.

eBay

One of the most prominent alternatives to Amazon is eBay. Like Amazon, eBay has made considerable changes since its launch back in 1995. Over the years, eBay’s focus has moved away from the collectibles market it used to cater to, and it’s now more product-based.

Many famous brands like Rolex, Hasbro, and Microsoft make their goods available via ebay.com brand outlet site, enabling consumers to bag a bargain. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a place for more unusual or collectible items.

On eBay, listing fees and final value fees vary, but it sets many of its final value fees at 10 percent or less. If you need to calculate fees before listing, use an eBay fee calculator.

Some advantages of selling on eBay are:

A more comprehensive range of categories

More payment options for shoppers, like a credit/debit card, PayPal, and local collection. Sellers can also accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, and gift cards through managed payments.

Improved branding through eBay stores and marketing materials

What makes eBay stand out, though, is its auctions. Auctions may not be ideal for every business. However, sellers who specialize in collectible or rare items may find the bidding pushes their final sales price up higher than they could’ve imagined.

Etsy

If your business primarily sells printable products or art and craft items, then Etsy might be for you. Of the many alternatives to Amazon, Etsy has perhaps one of the most affordable and straightforward pricing approaches.

Each listing costs just 20 cents, and the listing is good for four months. Then there’s a five percent transaction fee for goods that sell. Payment processing fees are variable and depend on location. If you want to grow your business further, Etsy Plus is available at $10 a month.

Re-listing is simple, too. Just select the auto-renew option, and there shouldn’t be anything else to do on your part.

Advantages of selling on Etsy are:

Greater customization over how your store looks

Ideal for beginners

Lower fees

Sellers can list collectibles and vintage items on Etsy

That’s the advantages, but there are a couple of possible disadvantages worth mentioning. First, Etsy is much smaller than Amazon, which means there’s intense competition, so your products need to stand out.

Second, although fees are cheaper, you may make more sales on Amazon Handmade because of its larger audience share.

Walmart Marketplace

Amazon dominates e-commerce, but Walmart is gaining ground. Recent sales figures show Walmart’s e-commerce sales have soared by 74 percent. This stat means if you’re looking for alternatives to Amazon, Walmart could be promising.

Like Amazon, Walmart now offers a fulfillment service. Although storage and fulfillment fees apply, Walmart’s fee structure is less complicated than Fulfillment by Amazon, and referral fees are competitive.

In addition, with Walmart’s marketplace, there’s no start-up or ongoing monthly fees. However, you’ll want to factor in other costs, like unique product codes (UPCs).

Advantages of selling on the Walmart marketplace include:

Lower costs

Less competition due to buyer/seller ratio

Price control over inventory

What makes the platform different? Unlike Amazon, Walmart’s marketplace is only open to invited brands. You can’t just register and start selling. But you can sign up.

To register your interest in selling, Walmart asks businesses to fill out the interest form.

Newegg

Newegg has gained a reputation as the top global tech marketplace online. But it also sells apparel, home and lifestyle products, sports/health-related items, TVs, and plenty more.

As for fees, non-elite membership is free. Elite membership has two tiers ranging from $29.95-$99.95 a month. Commissions vary, with the highest being 12 percent.

Advantages of selling on Newegg include:

Can be cheaper for tech products

Attracts tech buyers who are knowledgeable about products

The Newegg search engine makes finding electronics and components quicker

Customized marketing for businesses

Various payment choices for sellers including weekly ACH payments, PayPal, Wire Transfer, PingPong, Payoneer, and World First

A wide range of payments for buyers, including PayPal and BitPay

But it’s the multi-channel fulfillment option that may interest sellers the most. If you’re selling from various platforms, Newegg provides a central point to manage all your orders.

Shopify

When you sell on a third-party platform, you have limited control. Many online sellers favor setting up their stores the Shopify platform.

The site offers new sellers a 14-day free trial to get them started. After that, a basic Shopify store will cost you $29 a month. Online credit card rates are 2.9 percent + 30 cents. And you should find it easy enough to start selling.

Once you’ve signed up for the free trial, the next steps are to:

Add products

Selecting images

Set shipping details

Customize pages for search engines using keywords

Create main pages

Customize store

The benefits of Shopify include:

Highly-rated customer support and selling features

Greater customization

Large range of e-commerce tools and apps

Access to the e-commerce university

You can accept a large range of currencies

Conclusion

There are a variety of reasons you might be looking for alternatives to Amazon. Maybe you want a platform that provides a wider range of payment options, a site that’s more niche, or you just want a more extensive selection of online marketplaces to sell your wares.

As you can see, there are many venues available, and they all have their advantages. Sites like Bonanza have established a loyal audience, and Walmart’s e-commerce presence is growing strong.

Niche sites such as Etsy and Newegg are ideal for specialist items, and eBay offers greater customization and various selling methods, including auctions.

If you want to go it alone, there’s always Shopify, where you can set up and market your own e-commerce business.

Are you an online seller? Tell us about your favorite platform and your experiences below.

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does auto insurance cover the car or the driver

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes from different companies :car4insurance.xyz

does auto insurance cover the car or the driver

does auto insurance cover the car or the driver’s credit or debit card on which they were driving. In some cases, if the car is insured, the policy holder (referred to in rules for exclusions) is also covered under their personal auto policy. The policy holder is also covered for medical payments and is always in a state of pre-payment -without any pre-loss exclusions. (The rule of priority for this is a five-star rating for a two-star auto insurance policy.) Some insurance companies will cover the vehicle for a number of reasons, such as the purchase of a new car, replacement of existing insurance policies, or to fulfill coverage requirements. What If I Drive your Car? If you drive your car (which does not cost a lot in the slightest) and it is insured by your company, then you are the beneficiary. You should have coverage for everything. But before you have to pay the deductible or pay an award of damages because the damage is your fault. does auto insurance cover the car or the driver that’s driving it, so don’t forget to ask if someone else is insured. If the person driving your car has a permit, they need to have auto insurance. Depending on the reason that the person is driving your car, their vehicle or home, your insurance will cover the drivers car and that person. It’s very important to have an auto insurance policy for the driver who isn’t driving your car. If the person who is driving the driver’s car doesn’t have a license, they could have your car insurance coverage. However, you may have a higher risk if the person driving your car is still living at the time of the incident. Auto insurance providers have rules and requirements that they follow when it comes to when they require proof of insurance to drive off the road. Drivers can check the driving record of the person that is driving the vehicle and see if they have an open accident or traffic violation. These are the types of charges. does auto insurance cover the car or the driver of the car that you or your spouse were driving, such as a parent or caretaker or the vehicle owner. You may need to buy more than the state minimum of bodily injury coverage, such as $25,000per person and $50,000per accident, or an uninsured/underinsured motorist policy (UM policy). You may also want additional coverage for your renters insurance. See the guide below to help you decide if you need full coverage renters insurance. If you live in a city or county that accepts renters insurance, you probably are paying extra for renters insurance coverage. The best way to know if you need extra coverage will be to check in. These two items are helpful when it comes to finding the right insurance company and deductible. Make sure to ask your local company for the exact insurance coverage or monthly costs. If you’ve just acquired renters insurance, or you’re planning to leave an insurance claim for another rental, be sure you’re shopping for more.

Who is the insured?

Who is the insured? I thought I saw a small truck in my driveway when I got it. What happened to the bumper and bumper bumper bumpers? I thought I had to pull them and this truck was insured, but I found they did not need it at all. My policy ended when my car became a totaled out, it was much more than the cost of repairing and replacing it. It was totaled, and my agent at the company told me it was totaled only because the deductible was so high. I found out later that my insurance company was in the process of paying out the claim. Can it be claimed that it was totaled and no one is claiming the claim? It is illegal. All car insurance are required by law, including car insurance companies and most insurance companies in the US. The car insurance will cover the costs of damage. The amount of the car is a dependent of accident compensation. There are two ways to buy car insurance: Online car insurance websites, if you want to read about your car insurance.

Gap insurance pays out if you total a new or leased car

Gap insurance pays out if you total a new or leased car. If you re using a car you own, that would be the case, but will most insurance pay out if you have a loan that lenders already has money to pay? The answer is that insurers will consider what could trigger a claim on your policy. They may consider any claims in your network, or you may see them listed in your auto insurance policy. Insurance will try to think of any type of claims, including car insurance claims in certain scenarios. However, there are some instances in which you may get insurance from the same company in which you re using the vehicle, just with a different insurance company. As mentioned, if your state insurance is a government option or an employer-sponsored plan, you are covered from both sides if you are hurt in a covered collision. When your own health insurance is a vehicle, you may not even receive car insurance for your uninsured or underinsured motorist driver. What is a standard car insurance policy? Well, it is one of the type of insurance policies.

Common types of car insurance coverage

Common types of car insurance coverage: Many states require or mandate uninsured or underinsured the driver. The requirements vary, depending on the state you’re in. For example, if you have good health insurance, you’ll likely be required to pay for the damage to your car in a state that doesn’t require collision and comprehensive insurance in most states. You could face fines if you’re found driving without insurance. There are usually two coverage types for your car insurance, though it can vary based on the state where you live. Uninsured/underinsured motorist medical coverage pays for medical costs when someone with no insurance crashes into you and you’re hit for it. Collision insurance will also help pay for the repairs to your car if it’s damaged by something other than a collision. Comprehensive insurance will protect your car from things like water damage, fire, theft and vandalism. Unlike collision coverage, there is no deductible to meet when you file a claim through your car insurance for.

Understanding insurance coverage if someone else drives your vehicle.

Understanding insurance coverage if someone else drives your vehicle. Even if someone else’s car is not parked nearby, it’s still considered a car, so it can’t be listed on your insurance policy. Many insurers will provide coverage for your car when you’re on the road. So long as you have your car registered in the state you are driving, your insurance will cover your vehicle once they’re in the state. Most states require drivers to keep a certain amount of insurance on their vehicles. But you can change rates after you find a more favorable company. If you’re looking for auto insurance, you want to keep the same policy for as long as it stays safe. The better your car is, the less expensive your insurance is. To find out just what kind of a good discount you’ll receive with some insurers, see where they rank on our list of the . How you pay your auto insurance policy is determined by the insurance company. You pay their premiums on a monthly, quarterly.

Lean in to your insurance professional

Lean in to your insurance professional could be a real lifesaver in your legal future More Information Information About The RIA RIA is well-known in the industry. They’ve been a partner at various law firms. They have taken several life insurance lawsuits including lawsuits against large insurance companies. They’ve been awarded the highest credit rating from A.M. Best Company. Their insurance products are rated excellent and include a death benefit, survivor benefit rider, and a gift card. You may even have the option of receiving the full value of your gift. Check out their website for more information and to look at their online applications and policy pages. Learn more about their insurance products for young adults: AIG Young Adult (BSA) – The BSA provides the full benefits of all policies. A full life insurance policy, including a full term life insurance, is available for everyone with an age of under six years, but the coverage typically covers a specified dollar amount that.

Liability insurance covers damage you cause

Liability insurance covers damage you cause to other people or their property. However, liability insurance only protects you if you are at fault. While it is essential to choose coverage that works for your needs, there are other considerations in place when choosing insurance. While not required by law, insurance usually provides coverage for things that do not happen in an accident, such as loss of income due to illness or injury. However, insurance can come in several forms, depending on the circumstances. First of all, if you are hit by an uninsured driver, you might not have coverage under your car insurance policy. If you have auto coverage, the coverage is very limited. If the crash is also due to other cars, a cop in your vehicle would have no choice but to come after you, as you would face liability insurance costs in addition to the legal fees. Secondly, if you do not have auto insurance, your car insurance policies have certain limitations that could affect your ability to recover compensation from other parties. For example, your policy may leave you.

Does Car Insurance Cover Additional Drivers?

Does Car Insurance Cover Additional Drivers? You might be wondering, does car insurance cover extra drivers? Yes, car insurance will usually cover the drivers who are driving your car. So what happens when your car is being driven? Is auto insurance the only reason you need to have it? Or are you required to buy its insurance, but you don’t want to be under the assumption that your insurance is enough? Is insurance covered after someone else has committed a serious accident? And just as a reminder, not all accidents are handled properly by state law? So what happens when someone else is driving your car? Well, here’s the situation. If your insurance company provides some coverage, usually but not always, it usually provides liability coverage which applies only to the other driver. So liability is the minimum and you can’t really get covered for this. In situations like this, the other driver’s liability insurance may not be an issue. But the liability insurance should be included in your policy if.

Why Does Permission Matter With Insurance Coverage?

Why Does Permission Matter With Insurance Coverage? By Understanding you can be more involved with the decision process if the company believes your policy will not cover the cost of treatment. While there are a number of insurance companies that will provide medical coverage for you, the ones most commonly covered by state regulators will not be the ones that directly provide you with health insurance. The is a small, independent company that only provides basic personal coverage. One way that the company would pay some of your medical bills, however, is through the Administrator Program. The goal of this program is to provide health plans with greater benefits at market rates, which typically means less insurance coverage. However, the goal does not include physical therapy and recovery services. In most cases, they do not cover a specific service. Most medical insurance policies include the provision of coverage for a doctor who visits an in-patient, outpatient, or tertiary care facility for a particular condition. Under the “Administrator Program” (A.

Auto Insurance that Follows the Person

Auto Insurance that Follows the Person That Moves you With all the coverage, you can expect to pay a higher premium for auto coverage. The highest premium rates are found on the list of cheapest auto insurance premiums in Utah. While these policies are usually a little more expensive, you could potentially save several hundred dollars by getting coverage in the first place. To understand the different components of auto insurance, you may be wondering what car insurance you need and what your options are should you ever need to file a claim or not. Although the state and coverage needs vary by state, you may not be required to carry additional insurance coverage if you need to legally drive your car. Since the average cost of auto insurance in Utah is $1,624 for all 50 counties, most consumers need to have some type of auto insurance. So, is car insurance in Utah affordable? Keep reading to learn to help you decide on the best combination of a quote and coverage. The state of Utah offers some of the most affordable auto insurance rates in.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays when the at-fault driver can’t

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays when the at-fault driver can’t pay, up to your policy limit. Your personal auto insurance typically covers your own vehicle, your friend’s car or your relatives’ car for damage that they cause. It usually also covers vehicles your partner may not be on your policy, your child riding with inside their own garage. You name it like this, but your own policy will pay for the cost of fixing or replacing the other car you parked in, and of course their own insurance will cover your vehicle, they don’t need your insurance. However, their homeowners policy can cover the damage to your automobile when it’s damaged. The policy would normally extend to your own vehicle, so it could be added to your own policy for personal liability. In many cases the cost of replacing the vehicle is a lot less than replacing it yourself. The policy will pay to replace the vehicle, and the insurer will pay whichever one you decide when you get the replacement policy. When your car is damaged, the insurance company will.

[survivalplan1]

Exists Income After Peak Oil And Economic Collapse? If You’ …

Exists Income After Peak Oil And Economic Collapse? If You’re Clever, there Is.

A variety of forecast that the globe will absolutely promptly experience a financial stress and anxiety, produced by a range of parts, yet a good deal of specifically Peak Oil – the lowering manufacturing of oil. (For complete info on Peak Oil, see Dry Dipstick – www.drydipstick.com).

Whatever strikes the economic setting, you’ll greater than most likely still require revenue. Job incomes also in tough times. Regretfully, in addition to furthermore paradoxically, each time when a lot added demands to be done, it gets far more difficult in addition to a lot more hard for individuals to absolutely position work.

We can think what sort of task could vanish initially as an outcome of decreasing oil items along with similarly financial collapse– such as home framework, freeway framework in addition to structure, virtually any kind of sort of sort of sort of framework along with structure as well as building for that worry, charge card, financial, bonds in addition to in addition products, over night tourist (daytrip might do alright), airline firm organization (yet bus along with perhaps additionally trains might succeed), the car market in addition to all its connected companies, resorts in addition to similarly motels, drive-through fast-food, cars as well as additionally lorry cleans, store depending on low-priced things from China, along with added– nevertheless it’s possibly much better to anticipate along with initiative what sort of task in addition to similarly capabilities will definitely be most required.

We presume they will definitely need common needs– food, water, wellness, as well as a lot more. There will definitely greater than most likely be a lot more concentrate on caring for factors than changing them, so home markets such as little home tool repairing service in addition to in addition garments repair service can do well. Escapist fulfillment along with similarly fads were expanding throughout the Great Depression of the 1930s together with there’s no variable to think comparable, budget-friendly business could prevent doing similarly too currently.

You should not count on a person utilizing you. Approach currently to help on your own, supplying solutions along with furthermore things to individuals that require them.

We can not make any type of type of kind of assurances, nevertheless the adhering to concepts are displaying opportunities. As similarly they ought to absolutely obtain you assuming in the excellent instructions stressing various other possibly firms.

Barter Network.

When individuals do not have cash, they do trade. They’ve continually obtained factors– along with furthermore abilities– that they can trade. Establish a barter network, aid others do it, in addition to in addition take a little cut of the job.

Beer in addition to furthermore Wine Making.

Despite exactly simply exactly how difficult times obtain, individuals will certainly still require beer in addition to furthermore red wine. You’ve obtained a limitless supply of barter thing if you can alter the factors out at residence.

Bike Sales/ Repairs.

The truly first aspect you must absolutely do today is gone out in addition to furthermore get as large amounts of taken advantage of bikes as you can. Utilized bike sales along with fix call for to do exceptionally well. You can similarly contain motion mobility scooters together with motorbikes, as a result of the outstanding gas mileage they obtain.

Car Repair.

While this is no time at all in any way to be in the brand-new cars as well as likewise car sales organization, lorries as well as additionally car repair work need to be excellent as individuals attempt to maintain their existing vehicles running as long as they can– in addition to furthermore as prolonged as they can invest for the gas. You can furthermore supply lorry fixing training programs.

Cost-efficient Luxuries.

In difficult times– actually specifically in tough times– individuals will most definitely like to damage themselves currently in addition to afterwards. Or great smelling hand-made soap or a hand-carved lumber plaything.

Computer system Repair.

Computer system repair remedy along with upkeep need to do extremely well. Individuals will certainly bid farewell to be going out to acquire among one of the most as high as day upgrade (computer system, display screen, printer, etc) nonetheless will definitely be a whole lot a lot more thinking about maintaining what they have running correctly.

Shipment Service.

It makes a lot much more feeling to pay a tiny cost to have a shop supply an acquisition to you than to enter your car in addition to furthermore make a big salami to do it on your own. Smart shopkeeper will definitely use totally cost-free shipment in order to create consumers. (On a bigger range, firms like UPS together with FedEx require to be effective.).

Satisfaction.

Individuals prepare to be amused, especially when times are testing. Think about unifying gifted individuals to give real-time residence satisfaction in location or area areas. You possibly will not get plentiful yet you’ll appreciating, along with you in addition to in addition the artists will definitely wind up with a whole lot even more cash than when you began.

Work Service.

On a whole lot even more exclusive degree than a blood circulation treatment, job alternatives can include your needs with comparable requirements of others, to give alternatives a great deal a lot more affordable than you can do them on your own. This could be pick-up along with blood circulation, yet might moreover include financial, taking kids to after-school training programs in addition to similarly displaying jobs or family pets to the vet, along with in addition a range of many various other work.

Patterns.

It would definitely act to produce, in addition to also obtain plentiful off, the following craze. You can in a similar way remain to touch with the society, along with also offer budget plan pleasant methods for your area to worth those patterns.

Farming.

An acre of land together with a great deal of hard job will most definitely generate what you require for a small remedy. Taking into consideration that of the good deals of usages of hemp, that will definitely be an impressive plant once it’s licensed– or at the minimal feasible without enforcement– to widen.

Organic Treatments.

You can expand, or forage for, natural herbs in addition to in addition utilize them to make recovery blends, syrups, salves, teas, in addition to similarly a range of various other healthy and balanced and also well balanced as well as likewise well balanced products. You can additionally use blossoms for Aromatherapy.

Residence Repair.

Individuals will certainly need to do what they can to maintain whatever in their home in functioning order. If you have woodworking, pipes, electric in addition to a large range of various other vital abilities, you can be a huge aid to those individuals. You could also have success at disclosing these capacities to others.

Criterion.

You call it, a person will certainly have an interest rate in it. Whether it’s using gizmos, playing needlework, songs or story. The lessons possibly to do finest will definitely be those concentrated on fundamental basics, conserving cash along with shielding wellness, such as horticulture, food canning, low-cost home food preparation, yoga exercise along with various other health as well as additionally wellness workouts, depiction along with entertainment, natural herb foraging along with make use of, in addition to in addition pet pooch treatment.

Enlightening Video Library.

Considering creating a training video clip collection; video clip together with DVDs that inform individuals numerous capabilities, whether they’re residence or vehicle repairing service, needlework, tracks, language or any type of type of amongst many various other topics.

Raising Rabbits in addition to poultries.

Bargains of individuals can begin their actually very own yards, yet incredibly variety of will definitely increase their truly very own meat. If you’ve obtained area, you can take benefit of that by boosting hens as well as rabbits-and various other animals.

Rental Library.

Collections aren’t simply for publications in addition to furthermore video clips. Take into consideration giving specialized woodworking, truck together with cookware gizmos, video game, playthings, house repair service devices, horticulture devices along with essentially anything else you can consider.

Seamstress/ Tailor/ Clothing Alterations.

In tough times, individuals can not invest for to just get brand-new garments to change instead made use of garments. Stitching along with weaving capacities are no a lot longer typical, neither are stitching devices.

Tiny Appliance/ Electronics Repair.

Till currently it’s been much more economical to throw out a damaged radio, mixer, telephone or food cpu, microwave, coffee manufacturer along with furthermore comparable devices than to have it fixed. With conclusion of cost-effective imports, together with loss of incomes, individuals will certainly no a lot longer have the capability to invest for brand-new factors.

Soap Making.

Everyone requires soap. While there can not be a time when you can not discover soap to acquire, you’ll maintain cash money, have some enjoyable, along with furthermore wind up with a remarkable barter thing by making your actually very own soap.

Toys along with furthermore Games.

When playthings were not mass-produced plastic aspects, there was a time. They were completely crafted from wood, product in addition to furthermore countless various other all-natural products, were valued by the youngsters that got them, along with also were offered from generation to generation. Produce some on your own, along with furthermore you’ll have clients.

Regretfully, along with similarly paradoxically, at the same time when so a great deal included requirements to be done, it obtains more challenging together with more challenging for individuals to really reveal tasks.

While this is no time at all to be in the brand-new car sales company, car repair work solution work need to be superb as individuals attempt to maintain their existing vehicles running as long as they can– along with furthermore as extensive as they can spend for the gas. In tough times– in reality specifically in hard times– individuals will definitely intend to ravage themselves currently in addition to also afterwards.

Regretfully, in addition to furthermore paradoxically, each time when a lot included demands to be done, it obtains a whole lot even more challenging in addition to much more challenging for individuals to in fact discover task.

Escapist contentment in addition to furthermore patterns were prospering throughout the Great Depression of the 1930s in addition to there’s no facet to think comparable, economical business could avoid doing just too currently.

You probably will not obtain numerous yet you’ll having delightful, along with you in addition to in addition the artists will most definitely end up with likewise even more cash money than when you began.

The lessons more than likely to do finest will certainly be those concentrated on standard fundamentals, conserving cash money in addition to securing wellness, such as horticulture, food canning, economical house food preparation job, yoga exercise along with various other health in addition to wellness workouts, depiction in addition to leisure, natural herb foraging along with usage, along with also pet dog treatment.

They were very carefully crafted from lumber, product in addition to furthermore countless various other all-natural things, were valued by the youngsters that obtained them, in addition to in addition were supplied from generation to generation.

There will absolutely much more than most likely be a lot extra concentrate on taking treatment of factors than changing them, so home markets such as little residence tool repairing option as well as furthermore garments repair service can do well. Escapist fulfillment as well as similarly fads were expanding throughout the Great Depression of the 1930s along with there’s no variable to think equal, price efficient firms could prevent doing similarly as well currently.

They’ve continually obtained factors– as well as furthermore capacities– that they can trade. The truly preliminary aspect you need to definitely do today is headed out as well as also get as fantastic bargains of made usage of bikes as you can. They were completely crafted from wood, product as well as furthermore various other all-natural things, were valued by the kids that obtained them, as well as also were offered from generation to generation.

The post Exists Income After Peak Oil And Economic Collapse? If You’ … appeared first on Survival-Plan.com.

source https://survival-plan.com/exists-income-after-peak-oil-and-economic-collapse-if-you-2/

[mydigisalon]

Quick Tips to Re-Strategize Your Salon Business Post-Pandemic

Every business in this world has been directly impacted by the pandemic. Salon business is one such industry which has taken a huge toll as close proximity and one on one interaction is important. Now that all the businesses are getting opened slowly, we need to recognize the need for salon marketing strategies that can help boost the business transactions after the pandemic.

Salons need to focus on their online strategies but working on blogs, social media, and overall online presence to make sure that they can bring their business to life. There are no tried and tested or full proof strategies that can work, everyone is facing the post-pandemic challenges. In order to succeed, we need to alter every aspect of our lives.

To save you from jumping blind-eyed in this cut-throat testing time, we have curated a list of Do’s and don’t that can help you understand the pros and cons of all the strategies. Let’s start with things you need to avoid at all cost so that your salon business can thrive:

Avoid These 6 Pitfalls

1. The Mistake of Resuming Business As Usual

Your salon doors may have reopened, but we can not forget the term “new normal” because it’s anything but business as usual. The need to follow a strict and stringent cleaning process following the proper guidelines is mandatory. In order to abide by the social distancing rules, people might have to wait in the cars or book an online appointment for a hair salon to avoid the waiting time. You might even have to ask your staff to join in shifts because only 30% of staff will be allowed( depending on the salon space). You need to take care of proper sanitization, and in other words, COVID-19 changes are necessary.

2. Not Telling Customers About New Process

In post-pandemic times, prior communication is vital. You need to make sure that your customers are aware of any or all work-hour changes/shifts etc. before their bookings. Apart from that, you need to make sure that they know about all the procedures your salon is following to ensure everyone’s safety. These changes may include but might not be limited to cashless payments, salon applications, pickups, PPE kits, cleaning protocols, etc. All these things will ensure customer satisfaction, trust, and improve your brand image.

3. De-Prioritizing Special Treatment for Loyal Customers

We understand that in these uncertain times you might have a lot of things that need your attention but make sure that you keep a tab on your loyal customers. As a small business, you need to increase your recurring customers to increase your transactions. Make sure to convey your appreciation to your loyal customers, and you can give them priority slots, recurring bookings, early access to shops, etc. You need to walk the extra mile to appreciate your loyal customers. It will help build trust and retain individuals who have the potential to bring in more customers/business. You should opt for a salon marketing software that can help you segregate your users according to their past transactions, services availed and booking timings, etc. We are stressing it again, prioritize your loyal customers over one-time users but be professional at all times.

A Must-Read For all Salon Owners: How to Attract Clients Before Reopening Your Salon

4. Do Not Overdo Discounts

The business was down for so long, and you can not afford to lose any more revenue. Small salons are in desperate need to lure customers to survive. Naturally, people think discounts will work in enticing customers. But you need to keep in mind that people need salons as much as salons need transactions. People have been giving themselves a haircut for so long that they are ready to spend some extra bucks to look and feel good. There is no need to offer discounts. You need to generate the most revenue yo can to cover up additional costs due to cleaning supplies and recoup lost income

5. Overlooking Employee Health

Small salons offer longer working hours so it’s natural that they need to work on new procedures, manage customer demands, and maintain cleaning guidelines. All this means that employees will be working more than ever. There is a high chance that will end up exhausting themselves. Working 9+ hours, seven days a week is just too much. If they are going out of their way to make sure that all the appointments are being completed, appreciate them. Een a small amount as a stipend or bonus can go along way to boat their enthusiasm. It will make your reopening as smooth as possible. However, it doesn’t mean that you can look over their mental or physical health. You need to screen your staff before you call them back to work. You can afford to expose your staff to become a hotspot of COVID-19 resurgence. It mu=ight hamper your business so much that you might not be able to recover.

5 Ideas to Help you Enhance your Salon Business

1. Offer Recurring Memberships or Discounted Packages

To make sure that your recurring income is steady, you should work on strategies that offer value-add memberships or packages to loyal customers. E.g. customers with a minimum transaction of 5k per month can become a part of a premier club or get gift cards that can be availed on their next transaction, and you can even offer priority slots with packages for 6 services minimum to entice them more.

2. Start a Social Media Campaign

Social media is such a powerful tool that can make your business the start of your city within no time. You need to yield it thoughtfully to generate revenue and build brand image. Encourage your staff and costumes to post pictures by running a campaign or tag you in their posts. You need to work on social media campaigns that will ensure that your clients are speaking for you and create a bond that is stronger online and offline. My Digi salon can help you in strategizing and scheduling campaigns with ease.

3. Create a Referral Program

Salons are usually small businesses that compete locally. Now that the lockdown restrictions are lifting people are going to avail services and talk about it with their friends and family. How your salon handles them will determine people’s attitude towards your work. You need to incentivize your loyal customers as well as one-timers to ensure that you attract potential clients. You can give these incentives in terms of discounts for the next services/ products or run a campaign to give a bigger prize like 10k services free to the most number of referrals achieved.

4. Try Video Chat Consultations

Your staff will be busy once you reopen. From one on one appointments to following the cleaning protocols, your team will be spending a lot more time on one appointment than before. To make sure the consultation time in the salon, you can opt for video consultations. Keep a dedicated person who can consult people prior to their appointments. It will not only reduce chair time but is also more hygienic and safe rather than walk-in appointments. Encourage online bookings for salons on our social media pages as a COVID-19 safety measure to minimize unwanted/unnecessary exposure.

5. Add a “COVID-19 fee” to every ticket

As mentioned above, businesses were closed and a lot of revenue has been lost. Instead of offering unnecessary discounts, you need to make sure that you are covering all the costs and replenishing your bank accounts.  Apart from the regular fees, you will now also spend additional cost on cleaning procedures and safety guidelines, so make sure that you add a COVID-19 surcharge as a line item. You can pass it to your customers with full transparency as this will be the new normal for now. Make sure you assure your customers that this surcharge will be removed once things go back to pre-pandemic times.

Conclusion:

In addition to the practices mentioned above, you need to make sure that you optimize your operations by keeping a  tab on your staff, finances, transitions, and communication with your customers as well. My Digi Salon can help you streamline everything from just one place. From managing your team schedule to making sure that your appointments are being fulfilled on time and your digital image is maintained online and offline, we can help you with everything and anything from just one salon app.

Originally Published Here: https://www.mydigisalon.com/blog/tips-restrategize-salon-business/

[kennethherrerablog]

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions

Advertiser Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links in this post that we may earn a commission.

In the past, the difference between itemizing deductions on your tax return and claiming the standard deduction usually came down to whether or not you owned a home.

Homeowners typically paid enough mortgage interest and property taxes to make itemizing returns worth it, which allowed them to get a tax break for things like donations to charity and medical expenses.

But thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), you’re better off claiming the standard deduction.

If you are using software like TurboTax it can help you figure out the best options but if not do you know if you will you be able to itemize deductions this year? Read on to find out.

Itemized deductions vs. standard deduction

When you file a tax return, you have a choice between adding up all of your available itemized deductions and claiming them on Schedule A or taking the standard deduction.

The standard deduction is an amount predetermined by the IRS and based on your filing status. If your total itemized deductions are higher than the standard deduction available for your filing status, you’ll usually choose to itemize.

On 2017 tax returns (the last year before the TCJA took effect), the standard deduction was roughly half what it is today. Single filers could claim a standard deduction of $6,350 and a married couple filing jointly had a standard deduction of $12,700. In 2018, the available standard deduction went up to $12,000 for single taxpayers and $24,000 for married filing jointly, and it’s been adjusted upward in the years since.

For 2019 and 2020 tax returns, the standard deductions are:

Filing Status2019 Standard Deduction2020 Standard DeductionSingle$12,200$12,400Married Filing Jointly$24,400$24,800Married Filing Separately$12,200$12,400Head of Household$18,350$18,650

This means many people who used to itemize now don’t have enough itemized deductions to push them over the higher standard deduction hurdle. And certain tax-planning strategies, like pre-paying state and local taxes or making a big gift to their favorite charity at year-end, might not make sense.

In case you’re searching for ways to reduce your taxable income and think itemizing might still be an option for you, here’s a look at the itemized deductions you can claim on your tax return.

1. Medical expenses

You can deduct any out-of-pocket medical expenses you paid in 2019, but you only get a tax benefit for the costs that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), found on line 8b of Form 1040.

Medical expenses can include the premiums you paid for health, dental, vision, and long-term care insurance. They can also include the cost of prescription medications, fees for doctor and dentist visits, lab fees, hospital stays, eyeglasses and contact lenses, surgeries, and ambulance services.

You can’t deduct the cost of cosmetic surgery unless it was necessary to correct a deformity resulting from a congenital abnormality, accident, or disease.

2. State and local taxes

The deduction for state and local taxes has two components:

State and local income taxes OR state and local sales tax: People who live in states that have a state income tax can claim the income taxes they paid during the year. In Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming, there are no state income taxes. Taxpayers in those states have the option of deducting state and local sales tax instead.

If you saved your receipts all year, you could deduct the actual sales tax paid. Otherwise, you can use a flat amount determined by the IRS based on your income level, the size of your family, and your zip code. The IRS has a Sales Tax Deduction Calculator to help you find the amount you can deduct, or you can use the tables in the IRS Instructions for Schedule A. If you use the calculated amount, you can add to it any sales tax you paid on major purchases like buying a car or boat or remodeling your home. 

You can claim either income taxes or sales taxes, but not both.

Property taxes: If you own real estate, you can deduct the property taxes paid on your primary home, as well as any vacation properties or land you own. You can also deduct the property taxes you pay when registering a car, boat, or another vehicle. 

When the TCJA passed in 2017, many taxpayers scrambled to pre-pay their 2018 property taxes before the end of the year so they could take the deduction on their 2017 tax return. But the IRS wasn’t too excited about letting people exploit this potential tax loophole. The agency issued a letter at the end of the year indicating that prepaid property taxes are only deductible if the taxing authority had already made an assessment. In other words, if you have a property tax bill due in April of 2020 and you pay it in December of 2019, you can take the deduction on your 2019 tax return. However, if you don’t yet have your 2020 property tax bill, but you make a payment of $5,000 to your state treasurer in December of 2019 because that’s what you typically owe in property taxes each year, you won’t be able to take the deduction in 2019.

The TCJA also made deducting state and local taxes a little less generous by capping the amount you can claim. Starting in 2018, Congress capped the state and local tax deduction at a combined total of $10,000. Previously, there was no limit. For taxpayers living in high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, California, and Illinois, that cap might cut their available deduction in half.

3. Home mortgage interest

You can deduct interest paid on home mortgage debt of up to $750,000. Before the TCJA, the limit was $1 million of home acquisition debt and $100,000 of home equity debt, for a combined total of $1.1 million. Plus, that home equity debt could be used for any purpose.

The TCJA lowered the limit to a combined total of $750,000 for both your primary mortgage and home equity debt, and also specified that you must have used the home equity debt to “buy, build, or substantially improve” your home. In other words, if you used a home equity loan to pay off credit card debt or pay for your child’s education, the interest on that loan is no longer deductible.

If you paid mortgage insurance premiums, you might be able to deduct those premiums as well.  However, your AGI must be less than $109,000 to deduct mortgage insurance premiums ($54,500 if married filing separately). The Mortgage Insurance Premiums Deduction Worksheet in the IRS Instructions for Schedule A can help you calculate your deduction.

4. Gifts to charity

You can claim a deduction for cash or property donated to a qualified tax-exempt organization. Most charities will let you know if they have a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, but some organizations, including churches, aren’t required to apply for 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. If you’re not sure whether your charity of choice counts, the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search tool you can use to check their status.

The IRS also requires that you keep good records to support your deduction. The level of documentation depends on whether your donation was cash or property, and the value of that donation. Generally, if you have a written receipt from the charity showing the name and address of the organization, the date of your contribution, and the amount donated, your documentation will pass IRS requirements, although non-cash donations valued at more than $5,000 might require a qualified appraisal. For a more detailed explanation of documentation requirements, check out IRS Publication 526.

5. Casualty and theft losses

If you suffer property damage due to a fire, accident, or natural disaster, you may be able to claim a deduction for your loss. This category of itemized deductions used to cover a wide range of circumstances, but the TCJA changed the rules to only allow a deduction for losses from a federally declared disaster.

You can’t take a deduction for any losses that are covered by insurance, and you have to reduce the loss by $100 before figuring your deduction. 

6. Miscellaneous itemized deductions

If you’ve been itemizing deductions for a while, you might notice a few deductions missing from that list. The TCJA eliminated most miscellaneous itemized deductions, including things like investment advisory or management fees, unreimbursed job expenses, and tax preparation fees. 

There are still a few miscellaneous itemized deductions available, including gambling losses, amortizable bond premiums, and impairment-related work expenses of a disabled person. You can read more about the available miscellaneous itemized deductions in the Instructions for Schedule A.

Should you itemize your deductions?

The Tax Foundation estimates that less than 14% of taxpayers will itemize under the current law, compared to over 31% of taxpayers who itemized prior to the TCJA. In some cases, that’s a good thing. It makes tax filing simpler when you don’t have to track every medical bill, interest or tax payment, and donation to charity.

But if your estimated itemized deductions are close to the standard deduction available for your filing status, you might want to keep records for any available itemized deductions just in case. At tax time, your tax software or tax preparer can run the numbers both ways to see which method produces a lower tax bill.

Get started on your taxes right now for free at TurboTax.

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

[andrewdburton]

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions

Advertiser Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links in this post that we may earn a commission.

In the past, the difference between itemizing deductions on your tax return and claiming the standard deduction usually came down to whether or not you owned a home.

Homeowners typically paid enough mortgage interest and property taxes to make itemizing returns worth it, which allowed them to get a tax break for things like donations to charity and medical expenses.

But thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), you’re better off claiming the standard deduction.

If you are using software like TurboTax it can help you figure out the best options but if not do you know if you will you be able to itemize deductions this year? Read on to find out.

Itemized deductions vs. standard deduction

When you file a tax return, you have a choice between adding up all of your available itemized deductions and claiming them on Schedule A or taking the standard deduction.

The standard deduction is an amount predetermined by the IRS and based on your filing status. If your total itemized deductions are higher than the standard deduction available for your filing status, you’ll usually choose to itemize.

On 2017 tax returns (the last year before the TCJA took effect), the standard deduction was roughly half what it is today. Single filers could claim a standard deduction of $6,350 and a married couple filing jointly had a standard deduction of $12,700. In 2018, the available standard deduction went up to $12,000 for single taxpayers and $24,000 for married filing jointly, and it’s been adjusted upward in the years since.

For 2019 and 2020 tax returns, the standard deductions are:

Filing Status2019 Standard Deduction2020 Standard DeductionSingle$12,200$12,400Married Filing Jointly$24,400$24,800Married Filing Separately$12,200$12,400Head of Household$18,350$18,650

This means many people who used to itemize now don’t have enough itemized deductions to push them over the higher standard deduction hurdle. And certain tax-planning strategies, like pre-paying state and local taxes or making a big gift to their favorite charity at year-end, might not make sense.

In case you’re searching for ways to reduce your taxable income and think itemizing might still be an option for you, here’s a look at the itemized deductions you can claim on your tax return.

1. Medical expenses

You can deduct any out-of-pocket medical expenses you paid in 2019, but you only get a tax benefit for the costs that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), found on line 8b of Form 1040.

Medical expenses can include the premiums you paid for health, dental, vision, and long-term care insurance. They can also include the cost of prescription medications, fees for doctor and dentist visits, lab fees, hospital stays, eyeglasses and contact lenses, surgeries, and ambulance services.

You can’t deduct the cost of cosmetic surgery unless it was necessary to correct a deformity resulting from a congenital abnormality, accident, or disease.

2. State and local taxes

The deduction for state and local taxes has two components:

State and local income taxes OR state and local sales tax: People who live in states that have a state income tax can claim the income taxes they paid during the year. In Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming, there are no state income taxes. Taxpayers in those states have the option of deducting state and local sales tax instead.

If you saved your receipts all year, you could deduct the actual sales tax paid. Otherwise, you can use a flat amount determined by the IRS based on your income level, the size of your family, and your zip code. The IRS has a Sales Tax Deduction Calculator to help you find the amount you can deduct, or you can use the tables in the IRS Instructions for Schedule A. If you use the calculated amount, you can add to it any sales tax you paid on major purchases like buying a car or boat or remodeling your home. 

You can claim either income taxes or sales taxes, but not both.

Property taxes: If you own real estate, you can deduct the property taxes paid on your primary home, as well as any vacation properties or land you own. You can also deduct the property taxes you pay when registering a car, boat, or another vehicle. 

When the TCJA passed in 2017, many taxpayers scrambled to pre-pay their 2018 property taxes before the end of the year so they could take the deduction on their 2017 tax return. But the IRS wasn’t too excited about letting people exploit this potential tax loophole. The agency issued a letter at the end of the year indicating that prepaid property taxes are only deductible if the taxing authority had already made an assessment. In other words, if you have a property tax bill due in April of 2020 and you pay it in December of 2019, you can take the deduction on your 2019 tax return. However, if you don’t yet have your 2020 property tax bill, but you make a payment of $5,000 to your state treasurer in December of 2019 because that’s what you typically owe in property taxes each year, you won’t be able to take the deduction in 2019.

The TCJA also made deducting state and local taxes a little less generous by capping the amount you can claim. Starting in 2018, Congress capped the state and local tax deduction at a combined total of $10,000. Previously, there was no limit. For taxpayers living in high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, California, and Illinois, that cap might cut their available deduction in half.

3. Home mortgage interest

You can deduct interest paid on home mortgage debt of up to $750,000. Before the TCJA, the limit was $1 million of home acquisition debt and $100,000 of home equity debt, for a combined total of $1.1 million. Plus, that home equity debt could be used for any purpose.

The TCJA lowered the limit to a combined total of $750,000 for both your primary mortgage and home equity debt, and also specified that you must have used the home equity debt to “buy, build, or substantially improve” your home. In other words, if you used a home equity loan to pay off credit card debt or pay for your child’s education, the interest on that loan is no longer deductible.

If you paid mortgage insurance premiums, you might be able to deduct those premiums as well.  However, your AGI must be less than $109,000 to deduct mortgage insurance premiums ($54,500 if married filing separately). The Mortgage Insurance Premiums Deduction Worksheet in the IRS Instructions for Schedule A can help you calculate your deduction.

4. Gifts to charity

You can claim a deduction for cash or property donated to a qualified tax-exempt organization. Most charities will let you know if they have a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, but some organizations, including churches, aren’t required to apply for 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. If you’re not sure whether your charity of choice counts, the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search tool you can use to check their status.

The IRS also requires that you keep good records to support your deduction. The level of documentation depends on whether your donation was cash or property, and the value of that donation. Generally, if you have a written receipt from the charity showing the name and address of the organization, the date of your contribution, and the amount donated, your documentation will pass IRS requirements, although non-cash donations valued at more than $5,000 might require a qualified appraisal. For a more detailed explanation of documentation requirements, check out IRS Publication 526.

5. Casualty and theft losses

If you suffer property damage due to a fire, accident, or natural disaster, you may be able to claim a deduction for your loss. This category of itemized deductions used to cover a wide range of circumstances, but the TCJA changed the rules to only allow a deduction for losses from a federally declared disaster.

You can’t take a deduction for any losses that are covered by insurance, and you have to reduce the loss by $100 before figuring your deduction. 

6. Miscellaneous itemized deductions

If you’ve been itemizing deductions for a while, you might notice a few deductions missing from that list. The TCJA eliminated most miscellaneous itemized deductions, including things like investment advisory or management fees, unreimbursed job expenses, and tax preparation fees. 

There are still a few miscellaneous itemized deductions available, including gambling losses, amortizable bond premiums, and impairment-related work expenses of a disabled person. You can read more about the available miscellaneous itemized deductions in the Instructions for Schedule A.

Should you itemize your deductions?

The Tax Foundation estimates that less than 14% of taxpayers will itemize under the current law, compared to over 31% of taxpayers who itemized prior to the TCJA. In some cases, that’s a good thing. It makes tax filing simpler when you don’t have to track every medical bill, interest or tax payment, and donation to charity.

But if your estimated itemized deductions are close to the standard deduction available for your filing status, you might want to keep records for any available itemized deductions just in case. At tax time, your tax software or tax preparer can run the numbers both ways to see which method produces a lower tax bill.

Get started on your taxes right now for free at TurboTax.

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Finance https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/itemized-deductions/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[samuelfields]

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions

Advertiser Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links in this post that we may earn a commission.

In the past, the difference between itemizing deductions on your tax return and claiming the standard deduction usually came down to whether or not you owned a home.

Homeowners typically paid enough mortgage interest and property taxes to make itemizing returns worth it, which allowed them to get a tax break for things like donations to charity and medical expenses.

But thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), you’re better off claiming the standard deduction.

If you are using software like TurboTax it can help you figure out the best options but if not do you know if you will you be able to itemize deductions this year? Read on to find out.

Itemized deductions vs. standard deduction

When you file a tax return, you have a choice between adding up all of your available itemized deductions and claiming them on Schedule A or taking the standard deduction.

The standard deduction is an amount predetermined by the IRS and based on your filing status. If your total itemized deductions are higher than the standard deduction available for your filing status, you’ll usually choose to itemize.

On 2017 tax returns (the last year before the TCJA took effect), the standard deduction was roughly half what it is today. Single filers could claim a standard deduction of $6,350 and a married couple filing jointly had a standard deduction of $12,700. In 2018, the available standard deduction went up to $12,000 for single taxpayers and $24,000 for married filing jointly, and it’s been adjusted upward in the years since.

For 2019 and 2020 tax returns, the standard deductions are:

Filing Status2019 Standard Deduction2020 Standard DeductionSingle$12,200$12,400Married Filing Jointly$24,400$24,800Married Filing Separately$12,200$12,400Head of Household$18,350$18,650

This means many people who used to itemize now don’t have enough itemized deductions to push them over the higher standard deduction hurdle. And certain tax-planning strategies, like pre-paying state and local taxes or making a big gift to their favorite charity at year-end, might not make sense.

In case you’re searching for ways to reduce your taxable income and think itemizing might still be an option for you, here’s a look at the itemized deductions you can claim on your tax return.

1. Medical expenses

You can deduct any out-of-pocket medical expenses you paid in 2019, but you only get a tax benefit for the costs that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), found on line 8b of Form 1040.

Medical expenses can include the premiums you paid for health, dental, vision, and long-term care insurance. They can also include the cost of prescription medications, fees for doctor and dentist visits, lab fees, hospital stays, eyeglasses and contact lenses, surgeries, and ambulance services.

You can’t deduct the cost of cosmetic surgery unless it was necessary to correct a deformity resulting from a congenital abnormality, accident, or disease.

2. State and local taxes

The deduction for state and local taxes has two components:

State and local income taxes OR state and local sales tax: People who live in states that have a state income tax can claim the income taxes they paid during the year. In Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming, there are no state income taxes. Taxpayers in those states have the option of deducting state and local sales tax instead.

If you saved your receipts all year, you could deduct the actual sales tax paid. Otherwise, you can use a flat amount determined by the IRS based on your income level, the size of your family, and your zip code. The IRS has a Sales Tax Deduction Calculator to help you find the amount you can deduct, or you can use the tables in the IRS Instructions for Schedule A. If you use the calculated amount, you can add to it any sales tax you paid on major purchases like buying a car or boat or remodeling your home. 

You can claim either income taxes or sales taxes, but not both.

Property taxes: If you own real estate, you can deduct the property taxes paid on your primary home, as well as any vacation properties or land you own. You can also deduct the property taxes you pay when registering a car, boat, or another vehicle. 

When the TCJA passed in 2017, many taxpayers scrambled to pre-pay their 2018 property taxes before the end of the year so they could take the deduction on their 2017 tax return. But the IRS wasn’t too excited about letting people exploit this potential tax loophole. The agency issued a letter at the end of the year indicating that prepaid property taxes are only deductible if the taxing authority had already made an assessment. In other words, if you have a property tax bill due in April of 2020 and you pay it in December of 2019, you can take the deduction on your 2019 tax return. However, if you don’t yet have your 2020 property tax bill, but you make a payment of $5,000 to your state treasurer in December of 2019 because that’s what you typically owe in property taxes each year, you won’t be able to take the deduction in 2019.

The TCJA also made deducting state and local taxes a little less generous by capping the amount you can claim. Starting in 2018, Congress capped the state and local tax deduction at a combined total of $10,000. Previously, there was no limit. For taxpayers living in high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, California, and Illinois, that cap might cut their available deduction in half.

3. Home mortgage interest

You can deduct interest paid on home mortgage debt of up to $750,000. Before the TCJA, the limit was $1 million of home acquisition debt and $100,000 of home equity debt, for a combined total of $1.1 million. Plus, that home equity debt could be used for any purpose.

The TCJA lowered the limit to a combined total of $750,000 for both your primary mortgage and home equity debt, and also specified that you must have used the home equity debt to “buy, build, or substantially improve” your home. In other words, if you used a home equity loan to pay off credit card debt or pay for your child’s education, the interest on that loan is no longer deductible.

If you paid mortgage insurance premiums, you might be able to deduct those premiums as well.  However, your AGI must be less than $109,000 to deduct mortgage insurance premiums ($54,500 if married filing separately). The Mortgage Insurance Premiums Deduction Worksheet in the IRS Instructions for Schedule A can help you calculate your deduction.

4. Gifts to charity

You can claim a deduction for cash or property donated to a qualified tax-exempt organization. Most charities will let you know if they have a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, but some organizations, including churches, aren’t required to apply for 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. If you’re not sure whether your charity of choice counts, the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search tool you can use to check their status.

The IRS also requires that you keep good records to support your deduction. The level of documentation depends on whether your donation was cash or property, and the value of that donation. Generally, if you have a written receipt from the charity showing the name and address of the organization, the date of your contribution, and the amount donated, your documentation will pass IRS requirements, although non-cash donations valued at more than $5,000 might require a qualified appraisal. For a more detailed explanation of documentation requirements, check out IRS Publication 526.

5. Casualty and theft losses

If you suffer property damage due to a fire, accident, or natural disaster, you may be able to claim a deduction for your loss. This category of itemized deductions used to cover a wide range of circumstances, but the TCJA changed the rules to only allow a deduction for losses from a federally declared disaster.

You can’t take a deduction for any losses that are covered by insurance, and you have to reduce the loss by $100 before figuring your deduction. 

6. Miscellaneous itemized deductions

If you’ve been itemizing deductions for a while, you might notice a few deductions missing from that list. The TCJA eliminated most miscellaneous itemized deductions, including things like investment advisory or management fees, unreimbursed job expenses, and tax preparation fees. 

There are still a few miscellaneous itemized deductions available, including gambling losses, amortizable bond premiums, and impairment-related work expenses of a disabled person. You can read more about the available miscellaneous itemized deductions in the Instructions for Schedule A.

Should you itemize your deductions?

The Tax Foundation estimates that less than 14% of taxpayers will itemize under the current law, compared to over 31% of taxpayers who itemized prior to the TCJA. In some cases, that’s a good thing. It makes tax filing simpler when you don’t have to track every medical bill, interest or tax payment, and donation to charity.

But if your estimated itemized deductions are close to the standard deduction available for your filing status, you might want to keep records for any available itemized deductions just in case. At tax time, your tax software or tax preparer can run the numbers both ways to see which method produces a lower tax bill.

Get started on your taxes right now for free at TurboTax.

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Finance https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/itemized-deductions/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[mcjoelcain]

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions

Advertiser Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links in this post that we may earn a commission.

In the past, the difference between itemizing deductions on your tax return and claiming the standard deduction usually came down to whether or not you owned a home.

Homeowners typically paid enough mortgage interest and property taxes to make itemizing returns worth it, which allowed them to get a tax break for things like donations to charity and medical expenses.

But thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), you’re better off claiming the standard deduction.

If you are using software like TurboTax it can help you figure out the best options but if not do you know if you will you be able to itemize deductions this year? Read on to find out.

Itemized deductions vs. standard deduction

When you file a tax return, you have a choice between adding up all of your available itemized deductions and claiming them on Schedule A or taking the standard deduction.

The standard deduction is an amount predetermined by the IRS and based on your filing status. If your total itemized deductions are higher than the standard deduction available for your filing status, you’ll usually choose to itemize.

On 2017 tax returns (the last year before the TCJA took effect), the standard deduction was roughly half what it is today. Single filers could claim a standard deduction of $6,350 and a married couple filing jointly had a standard deduction of $12,700. In 2018, the available standard deduction went up to $12,000 for single taxpayers and $24,000 for married filing jointly, and it’s been adjusted upward in the years since.

For 2019 and 2020 tax returns, the standard deductions are:

Filing Status2019 Standard Deduction2020 Standard DeductionSingle$12,200$12,400Married Filing Jointly$24,400$24,800Married Filing Separately$12,200$12,400Head of Household$18,350$18,650

This means many people who used to itemize now don’t have enough itemized deductions to push them over the higher standard deduction hurdle. And certain tax-planning strategies, like pre-paying state and local taxes or making a big gift to their favorite charity at year-end, might not make sense.

In case you’re searching for ways to reduce your taxable income and think itemizing might still be an option for you, here’s a look at the itemized deductions you can claim on your tax return.

1. Medical expenses

You can deduct any out-of-pocket medical expenses you paid in 2019, but you only get a tax benefit for the costs that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), found on line 8b of Form 1040.

Medical expenses can include the premiums you paid for health, dental, vision, and long-term care insurance. They can also include the cost of prescription medications, fees for doctor and dentist visits, lab fees, hospital stays, eyeglasses and contact lenses, surgeries, and ambulance services.

You can’t deduct the cost of cosmetic surgery unless it was necessary to correct a deformity resulting from a congenital abnormality, accident, or disease.

2. State and local taxes

The deduction for state and local taxes has two components:

State and local income taxes OR state and local sales tax: People who live in states that have a state income tax can claim the income taxes they paid during the year. In Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming, there are no state income taxes. Taxpayers in those states have the option of deducting state and local sales tax instead.

If you saved your receipts all year, you could deduct the actual sales tax paid. Otherwise, you can use a flat amount determined by the IRS based on your income level, the size of your family, and your zip code. The IRS has a Sales Tax Deduction Calculator to help you find the amount you can deduct, or you can use the tables in the IRS Instructions for Schedule A. If you use the calculated amount, you can add to it any sales tax you paid on major purchases like buying a car or boat or remodeling your home. 

You can claim either income taxes or sales taxes, but not both.

Property taxes: If you own real estate, you can deduct the property taxes paid on your primary home, as well as any vacation properties or land you own. You can also deduct the property taxes you pay when registering a car, boat, or another vehicle. 

When the TCJA passed in 2017, many taxpayers scrambled to pre-pay their 2018 property taxes before the end of the year so they could take the deduction on their 2017 tax return. But the IRS wasn’t too excited about letting people exploit this potential tax loophole. The agency issued a letter at the end of the year indicating that prepaid property taxes are only deductible if the taxing authority had already made an assessment. In other words, if you have a property tax bill due in April of 2020 and you pay it in December of 2019, you can take the deduction on your 2019 tax return. However, if you don’t yet have your 2020 property tax bill, but you make a payment of $5,000 to your state treasurer in December of 2019 because that’s what you typically owe in property taxes each year, you won’t be able to take the deduction in 2019.

The TCJA also made deducting state and local taxes a little less generous by capping the amount you can claim. Starting in 2018, Congress capped the state and local tax deduction at a combined total of $10,000. Previously, there was no limit. For taxpayers living in high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, California, and Illinois, that cap might cut their available deduction in half.

3. Home mortgage interest

You can deduct interest paid on home mortgage debt of up to $750,000. Before the TCJA, the limit was $1 million of home acquisition debt and $100,000 of home equity debt, for a combined total of $1.1 million. Plus, that home equity debt could be used for any purpose.

The TCJA lowered the limit to a combined total of $750,000 for both your primary mortgage and home equity debt, and also specified that you must have used the home equity debt to “buy, build, or substantially improve” your home. In other words, if you used a home equity loan to pay off credit card debt or pay for your child’s education, the interest on that loan is no longer deductible.

If you paid mortgage insurance premiums, you might be able to deduct those premiums as well.  However, your AGI must be less than $109,000 to deduct mortgage insurance premiums ($54,500 if married filing separately). The Mortgage Insurance Premiums Deduction Worksheet in the IRS Instructions for Schedule A can help you calculate your deduction.

4. Gifts to charity

You can claim a deduction for cash or property donated to a qualified tax-exempt organization. Most charities will let you know if they have a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, but some organizations, including churches, aren’t required to apply for 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. If you’re not sure whether your charity of choice counts, the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search tool you can use to check their status.

The IRS also requires that you keep good records to support your deduction. The level of documentation depends on whether your donation was cash or property, and the value of that donation. Generally, if you have a written receipt from the charity showing the name and address of the organization, the date of your contribution, and the amount donated, your documentation will pass IRS requirements, although non-cash donations valued at more than $5,000 might require a qualified appraisal. For a more detailed explanation of documentation requirements, check out IRS Publication 526.

5. Casualty and theft losses

If you suffer property damage due to a fire, accident, or natural disaster, you may be able to claim a deduction for your loss. This category of itemized deductions used to cover a wide range of circumstances, but the TCJA changed the rules to only allow a deduction for losses from a federally declared disaster.

You can’t take a deduction for any losses that are covered by insurance, and you have to reduce the loss by $100 before figuring your deduction. 

6. Miscellaneous itemized deductions

If you’ve been itemizing deductions for a while, you might notice a few deductions missing from that list. The TCJA eliminated most miscellaneous itemized deductions, including things like investment advisory or management fees, unreimbursed job expenses, and tax preparation fees. 

There are still a few miscellaneous itemized deductions available, including gambling losses, amortizable bond premiums, and impairment-related work expenses of a disabled person. You can read more about the available miscellaneous itemized deductions in the Instructions for Schedule A.

Should you itemize your deductions?

The Tax Foundation estimates that less than 14% of taxpayers will itemize under the current law, compared to over 31% of taxpayers who itemized prior to the TCJA. In some cases, that’s a good thing. It makes tax filing simpler when you don’t have to track every medical bill, interest or tax payment, and donation to charity.

But if your estimated itemized deductions are close to the standard deduction available for your filing status, you might want to keep records for any available itemized deductions just in case. At tax time, your tax software or tax preparer can run the numbers both ways to see which method produces a lower tax bill.

Get started on your taxes right now for free at TurboTax.

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Money https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/itemized-deductions/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[paulckrueger]

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions

Advertiser Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links in this post that we may earn a commission.

In the past, the difference between itemizing deductions on your tax return and claiming the standard deduction usually came down to whether or not you owned a home.

Homeowners typically paid enough mortgage interest and property taxes to make itemizing returns worth it, which allowed them to get a tax break for things like donations to charity and medical expenses.

But thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), you’re better off claiming the standard deduction.

If you are using software like TurboTax it can help you figure out the best options but if not do you know if you will you be able to itemize deductions this year? Read on to find out.

Itemized deductions vs. standard deduction

When you file a tax return, you have a choice between adding up all of your available itemized deductions and claiming them on Schedule A or taking the standard deduction.

The standard deduction is an amount predetermined by the IRS and based on your filing status. If your total itemized deductions are higher than the standard deduction available for your filing status, you’ll usually choose to itemize.

On 2017 tax returns (the last year before the TCJA took effect), the standard deduction was roughly half what it is today. Single filers could claim a standard deduction of $6,350 and a married couple filing jointly had a standard deduction of $12,700. In 2018, the available standard deduction went up to $12,000 for single taxpayers and $24,000 for married filing jointly, and it’s been adjusted upward in the years since.

For 2019 and 2020 tax returns, the standard deductions are:

Filing Status2019 Standard Deduction2020 Standard DeductionSingle$12,200$12,400Married Filing Jointly$24,400$24,800Married Filing Separately$12,200$12,400Head of Household$18,350$18,650

This means many people who used to itemize now don’t have enough itemized deductions to push them over the higher standard deduction hurdle. And certain tax-planning strategies, like pre-paying state and local taxes or making a big gift to their favorite charity at year-end, might not make sense.

In case you’re searching for ways to reduce your taxable income and think itemizing might still be an option for you, here’s a look at the itemized deductions you can claim on your tax return.

1. Medical expenses

You can deduct any out-of-pocket medical expenses you paid in 2019, but you only get a tax benefit for the costs that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), found on line 8b of Form 1040.

Medical expenses can include the premiums you paid for health, dental, vision, and long-term care insurance. They can also include the cost of prescription medications, fees for doctor and dentist visits, lab fees, hospital stays, eyeglasses and contact lenses, surgeries, and ambulance services.

You can’t deduct the cost of cosmetic surgery unless it was necessary to correct a deformity resulting from a congenital abnormality, accident, or disease.

2. State and local taxes

The deduction for state and local taxes has two components:

State and local income taxes OR state and local sales tax: People who live in states that have a state income tax can claim the income taxes they paid during the year. In Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming, there are no state income taxes. Taxpayers in those states have the option of deducting state and local sales tax instead.

If you saved your receipts all year, you could deduct the actual sales tax paid. Otherwise, you can use a flat amount determined by the IRS based on your income level, the size of your family, and your zip code. The IRS has a Sales Tax Deduction Calculator to help you find the amount you can deduct, or you can use the tables in the IRS Instructions for Schedule A. If you use the calculated amount, you can add to it any sales tax you paid on major purchases like buying a car or boat or remodeling your home. 

You can claim either income taxes or sales taxes, but not both.

Property taxes: If you own real estate, you can deduct the property taxes paid on your primary home, as well as any vacation properties or land you own. You can also deduct the property taxes you pay when registering a car, boat, or another vehicle. 

When the TCJA passed in 2017, many taxpayers scrambled to pre-pay their 2018 property taxes before the end of the year so they could take the deduction on their 2017 tax return. But the IRS wasn’t too excited about letting people exploit this potential tax loophole. The agency issued a letter at the end of the year indicating that prepaid property taxes are only deductible if the taxing authority had already made an assessment. In other words, if you have a property tax bill due in April of 2020 and you pay it in December of 2019, you can take the deduction on your 2019 tax return. However, if you don’t yet have your 2020 property tax bill, but you make a payment of $5,000 to your state treasurer in December of 2019 because that’s what you typically owe in property taxes each year, you won’t be able to take the deduction in 2019.

The TCJA also made deducting state and local taxes a little less generous by capping the amount you can claim. Starting in 2018, Congress capped the state and local tax deduction at a combined total of $10,000. Previously, there was no limit. For taxpayers living in high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, California, and Illinois, that cap might cut their available deduction in half.

3. Home mortgage interest

You can deduct interest paid on home mortgage debt of up to $750,000. Before the TCJA, the limit was $1 million of home acquisition debt and $100,000 of home equity debt, for a combined total of $1.1 million. Plus, that home equity debt could be used for any purpose.

The TCJA lowered the limit to a combined total of $750,000 for both your primary mortgage and home equity debt, and also specified that you must have used the home equity debt to “buy, build, or substantially improve” your home. In other words, if you used a home equity loan to pay off credit card debt or pay for your child’s education, the interest on that loan is no longer deductible.

If you paid mortgage insurance premiums, you might be able to deduct those premiums as well.  However, your AGI must be less than $109,000 to deduct mortgage insurance premiums ($54,500 if married filing separately). The Mortgage Insurance Premiums Deduction Worksheet in the IRS Instructions for Schedule A can help you calculate your deduction.

4. Gifts to charity

You can claim a deduction for cash or property donated to a qualified tax-exempt organization. Most charities will let you know if they have a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, but some organizations, including churches, aren’t required to apply for 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. If you’re not sure whether your charity of choice counts, the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search tool you can use to check their status.

The IRS also requires that you keep good records to support your deduction. The level of documentation depends on whether your donation was cash or property, and the value of that donation. Generally, if you have a written receipt from the charity showing the name and address of the organization, the date of your contribution, and the amount donated, your documentation will pass IRS requirements, although non-cash donations valued at more than $5,000 might require a qualified appraisal. For a more detailed explanation of documentation requirements, check out IRS Publication 526.

5. Casualty and theft losses

If you suffer property damage due to a fire, accident, or natural disaster, you may be able to claim a deduction for your loss. This category of itemized deductions used to cover a wide range of circumstances, but the TCJA changed the rules to only allow a deduction for losses from a federally declared disaster.

You can’t take a deduction for any losses that are covered by insurance, and you have to reduce the loss by $100 before figuring your deduction. 

6. Miscellaneous itemized deductions

If you’ve been itemizing deductions for a while, you might notice a few deductions missing from that list. The TCJA eliminated most miscellaneous itemized deductions, including things like investment advisory or management fees, unreimbursed job expenses, and tax preparation fees. 

There are still a few miscellaneous itemized deductions available, including gambling losses, amortizable bond premiums, and impairment-related work expenses of a disabled person. You can read more about the available miscellaneous itemized deductions in the Instructions for Schedule A.

Should you itemize your deductions?

The Tax Foundation estimates that less than 14% of taxpayers will itemize under the current law, compared to over 31% of taxpayers who itemized prior to the TCJA. In some cases, that’s a good thing. It makes tax filing simpler when you don’t have to track every medical bill, interest or tax payment, and donation to charity.

But if your estimated itemized deductions are close to the standard deduction available for your filing status, you might want to keep records for any available itemized deductions just in case. At tax time, your tax software or tax preparer can run the numbers both ways to see which method produces a lower tax bill.

Get started on your taxes right now for free at TurboTax.

A List of 6 Itemized Deductions is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Surety Bond Brokers? Business https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/itemized-deductions/

[cardibbodakyellow-blog]

Selecting a Wedding Photographer -- 15 Tips For Choosing Wedding Photography

The way to select a Wedding Photographer rapid ten Tips For Selecting Wedding Photography

Wedding photographer San Galgano Italy You wish your wedding photographer to read everything that makes your own day special, to get you at your very best, to deliver photographs which live up to your anticipation. Here are twelve hints for selecting wedding pictures that you can reside with throughout your brand-new life together. A reputable marriage ceremony photographer should get a bodily location. The physical location where a person can find them if you need these people and where you can connect with with these safely is important. Brick and mortar marriage ceremony photography studios develop confidence within the community and with their very own clientele. If your wedding shooter does not have some sort of local address (not some sort of PO Box) that they will discuss with you, it's a good reason not to confidence them. They might exercise of their house, yet are you aware of where that is definitely? A real office or studio will be paramount to them being dependable. Will be you be happy to have a random odder go to your house, as well as for you to head over to their house? It's safer and more reliable to choose a wedding photographer along with a studio or workplace you can visit in addition to where you can locate your own personal photographer. Wedding photographer San Galgano Italy A excellent wedding shooter should help make your day move more smoothly. Aside via an ardent wedding planner, your current photographer is the only vendor who is going to be able to be spending the overall time with you. A new good wedding professional photographer need to make things less complicated with regard to you. They should solve issues. Your wedding photographer should be accommodating. Many people should be able for you to adapt and also thrive with difficult circumstances. Find out more about their possibilities and enquire about a challenging lighting scenario, bad weather conditions, or other tragedy and find out how these people dealt with this throughout the past. You require your wedding digital photographer in order to be focused on an individual. If you meet with just about any wedding digital photographer for the particular first time, do many people ask about a person, receive to know you, along with find out what you would like? Or perhaps do only these people speak about themselves and what they are doing? Find a photography who is ready to commit time getting to recognize you so you know these people understand a person and your current needs. This is the particular simplest way to find away if they are some sort of good healthy for you actually. Your wedding photographer ought to be knowledgeable and helpful. They ought to offer suggestions about options you have for diverse things, provide advice in scheduling and arrangement, be full of ideas, and become ready to make your personal day and your planning easier. A good professional photographer is big on planning. Your photographer should help with you before an involvement time to select clothing and placement. Your wedding day taking pictures should be timetabled while part of your time rather than for afterthought. Photography does not possess to become inconvenient - it can be the fun and integral part associated with your day. The very best audio strange, but not almost all wedding photographers are the actual same and not all of photographers are a great fit for each and every client. In case your wedding photography satisfies you and finds out with regards to what you are looking for and then says to you that they don't believe they would be considered a very good fit for you, it will surprising, but it's absolutely nothing personal. Wouldn't you rather a professional be genuine about this as compared to seeking to change to meet up with your needs? At times photographers realize that what they focus on is not typically the same thing a clientele desires. Photographers don't need to make you actually miserable, and if a wedding party shooter thinks you could be happier which has a distinct style of photography or maybe with a different problem, you will tell you just before you book and that means you are generally not disappointed later. Price is NOT the most important factor finding a marriage ceremony photographer: You definitely pay for what you get. Photography is like everything else in every area of your life: You get what you pay for. It isn't logical to think you can get an individual for little to not any dollars and get the actual same results you might receive if you had spent twice the things you compensated. Price is normally an element when it comes to be able to quality. Photographers who else demand more are usually supported by their reputation, their manufacturer, and their experience. You actually should also be aware that your photographs will become the actual lasting memory of your special day. There are a couple things you should put money into for your wedding, the item should be your place and your photography. Persons will probably not remember the meal, you will simply wear your own personal dress once, and most in the different things are not huge ventures anyway (flowers, music, makeup). You will seem at your wedding images regularly - perhaps perhaps each day - for typically the rest of your living. Ought not to your wedding images be wonderful? Your wedding ceremony photography studio ought to be guaranteed and licensed like a legitimate business. Many places actually require insurance from vendors working there. Cameras is actually expensive and you need to make sure your photographer is entirely covered with insurance by a highly regarded insurance company to make sure you actually are protected. Many photographers are just individuals together with cameras and possibly a cunning website. Make sure your photographer is definitely backed by a legitimate, legitimate business. Your wedding digital photographer should have backup gear plus a backup plan. Obligatory: Video cameras with two slot machines with regard to memory cards which can be written for you to simultaneously in case 1 card fails, backup camcorders and lenses, a records file backup plan including offsite a back up, and a problem plan. Safeguard your purchase. If your professional photographer just has one camera, it can not enough. Multiple professional photographers with your package are usually much good for your health than having just one. Your wedding photography should have multiple photography lovers on staff in scenario someone get sick or even God restrict injured. Any lone shooter cannot become in enough spots in once to possibly cover a wedding day properly. For everyone but the most compact weddings, your wedding photographer need to have at a bare minimum a new photographer and assistant/second player with the dice. Anything less and also you will be losing out on important moments, angles, in addition to opportunities. Your wedding photography must not dump a dvd connected with photos on an individual and disappear after the actual wedding day. Some photography lovers will sell you a disc of high resolution photos, give them for you, and also that's it. Your wedding party professional photographer should provide value-add products after your marriage day - for example , picture books or albums, photo prints, and wall skill. Other services it is best to appear for are in-studio viewings and selection, retouching and also editing services, and gift options. A photographer in which shoots photos for a dvd is going to be able to give you a end result which is a completely different fixed of photos over a shooter who is shooting with the album in mind or maybe to create artwork. Anyone are going to get a much better selection of photos from a shooter focused on artwork as well as a great heirloom album than one that is going to be able to shoot-andburn a disc with regard to you and call this a day. Will you really want to spend time frame in addition to money designing your own personal own cd? Probably certainly not. Make sure your photographer provide you with personal usage protection under the law for that images, but an individual do not need natural files or ultra high res photos if your marriage shooter designs for anyone an amazing picture book, offers you a disc connected with JPG digital negatives, and offers print, artwork, and design and style options after the wedding. Considercarefully what you really need and talk to your own personal shooter about what that they provide.

[renoquotes]

How to Choose a Wedding Photographer instructions 12 Tips For Finding Wedding Digital photography

How to pick a Wedding Photographer - 10 Tips For Picking out Wedding Digital photography

Siena Wedding Photographers You want your wedding photographer for capturing everything that makes your current day exclusive, to capture you at your finest, to deliver photographs that will live around your anticipations. Here are 10 hints for selecting wedding pictures that you can stay with throughout your fresh life together. A respected wedding ceremony photographer should have a bodily location. Some sort of physical area where an individual can find them any time you need these as well as where you can meet with them safely will be important. Brick and mortar marriage ceremony photography studios make trust within the area and with their own buyers. If your wedding professional photographer does not have any local address (not some sort of PO Box) that they can reveal with you, it's a good reason to never believe in them. They might lift weights of their house, although have you any idea where that is? A actual physical office or even studio is actually paramount to be able to them being dependable. Would be you be ready to have a random new person come to your house, as well as for you to visit their house? It's better and much more reliable to decide on a wedding photographer along with a studio or business office you can visit along with where you can locate your photographer. Tuscany wedding photographer A fine wedding professional photographer should help make your day go more smoothly. Aside by a fervent wedding planner, your current photography is the solely vendor who might be going to help be spending the entire day with you. A new good wedding shooter should make things simpler for you. They should remedy difficulties. Your wedding professional photographer should be accommodating. They will should be able to adapt along with thrive in difficult conditions. Find available more about their skills and enquire about a complicated lighting circumstance, bad weather conditions, or other disaster and also find out how they dealt with this inside the past. You have to have your wedding digital photographer to be focused on you. When you meet with almost any wedding digital photographer for often the first time, do they ask about you actually, acquire to know you, and find out what you need? Or maybe do only they will chat about themselves and exactly what they do? Find a shooter who is able to invest time getting to learn you and that means you know they will understand a person and your own needs. This is the simplest way to find out and about if they are some sort of good suit for an individual. Your wedding photographer really should be knowledgeable and helpful. They must offer suggestions about options you have for diverse things, offer advice upon scheduling and method, always be full of ideas, and turn into ready to make your own personal day and your planning less complicated. A good digital photographer will be big on preparing. Your own photographer should consult with anyone before an engagement treatment to select clothing and placement. Your wedding day pictures should be planned as part of your moment rather than as being an sequelae. Photography does not include to possibly be inconvenient instructions it can be the fun and integral part regarding your day. Your preferences . audio strange, but not just about all wedding photographers are the particular same and not all of photographers are a very good fit for every client. When your wedding photographer meets you and realizes with regards to what you are hunting for and then says to you that they don't feel they would certainly be a fine fit for you, it could be surprising, but it's nothing personal. Wouldn't you quite a professional be trustworthy about this in comparison with attempting to change to meet up with your needs? Sometimes photography fans realize that what that they are experts in is not the particular same thing a clientele wishes. Photographers don't desire to make you actually disappointed, and if a marriage photographer thinks you could be happier along with a different style of photography or even with a different situation, below tell you just before you book which means you are generally not disappointed later. Price are NOT the most critical factor finding a wedding photographer: You definitely pay for what you get. Photography is like anything else in every area of your life: You obtain what you pay regarding. It is not necessarily logical to think you can hire someone for little to simply no money and get typically the same results you would certainly find if you experienced spent twice everything you paid. Price is normally an element when it comes to be able to quality. Photographers who else demand more are usually backed by their reputation, their model, and their experience. An individual should also recognize that your own personal photographs will become often the lasting memory of your current special day. There are a couple things you should buy for your wedding, the item should be your personal place and your photography. Men and women will probably not recall the meals, you will just wear your own dress when, and most in the other things are not big assets anyway (flowers, new music, makeup). You will seem at your wedding photos regularly - perhaps perhaps each day - for often the rest of your existence. Should not your wedding pictures be fantastic? Your marriage photography studio really should be covered and licensed for a legitimate business. Many places actually require insurance coming from vendors working there. Camera equipment is definitely expensive and you should make sure that your photographer is thoroughly covered by a reliable insurance company to ensure you actually are protected. Many photography lovers are just individuals with cameras and possibly a smooth website. Make sure your photographer will be backed by the best, genuine business. Your wedding photographer should have backup devices along with a backup plan. Mandatory: Digital cameras with two slot machines intended for memory cards which can be written for you to simultaneously in case one particular card fails, backup digital cameras and lenses, a files back up plan including away from the site backups, and a disaster plan. Secure your purchase. If your shooter simply has one photographic camera, is actually not enough. Multiple photography lovers with your package are generally much better for your health than acquiring just one. Your wedding shooter should have multiple photographers on staff in event an individual get sick or even God forbid injured. Some sort of lone photographer cannot become in enough places on once to possibly protect a wedding day sufficiently. For those but the tiniest weddings, the wedding photographer should have at a lowest a photographer and assistant/second shooter. Anything less and also you will be missing important moments, angles, as well as opportunities. Your wedding digital photographer should NOT dump a game connected with photos on an individual and vanish after the particular wedding day. Some professional photographers will sell you any disc an excellent source of resolution photographs, give them for your requirements, and that's it. Your marriage ceremony photography should provide value-add services and products after your wedding party day - for instance , picture books or cds, photo prints, and wall membrane fine art. Other services you should search for are in-studio viewings and selection, retouching in addition to editing services, and gift idea options. A photographer in which shoots photos for some sort of dvd is going for you to give you a end result that is a completely different fixed of photos than a digital photographer who is shooting having an album in mind or even to produce artwork. You actually are going to receive a greater selection associated with photos from a professional photographer focused on artwork and the heirloom album when compared with person who is going to shoot-andburn a game regarding you and call this each day. Will you definitely want to spend period in addition to money designing your own cd? Probably definitely not. Make sure your digital photographer gives you personal usage proper rights to the images, but you actually do not need natural files or ultra high definition photos if your marriage professional photographer designs for anyone an amazing picture album, presents you a disc associated with JPG digital negatives, and will be offering print, artwork, and design and style options after the wedding. Considercarefully what you really require and talk to your own personal photographer about what many people provide.

[ambitchion]

Read this any time you need to figure shit out in life. You’ll figure it out through one of these.

1. Being great at dealing with people is not an inborn talent. It is made through tons of research and deliberate practice.

2. A big part of emotional intelligence is being able to feel an emotion without having to act on it. Uncontrollable desires make you seem weak, unworthy and pathetic.

3. Don’t ever try to impress people by revealing your secrets or flaunting your achievements, for its effect is often the opposite of what you expected. Stay low-key, stop telling people more than they need to know.

4. Move in silence, never let them know your next move. You are more likely to achieve your goals if you keep them to yourself.

5. Keep your effort and your tricks to yourself and you seem to be an untouchable genius.

6. You must not be afraid of your uniqueness and you must care less and less what people think of you. Confidence is not ‘they will like me’. Confidence is ‘I’ll be fine if they don’t’.

7. If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth to someone, you have already forgotten your value. Let others worry about being socially acceptable; those types are a dime a dozen.

8. Trust yourself more and others less. The only way to survive is to admit you are on your own, learn to make your own decisions, and trust your judgement.

9. Respect people’s feelings. Even if it doesn’t mean anything to you, it could mean everything to them. Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.

10. Set your price high. Even those who turn you down respect you for your confidence, and that respect will eventually pay off in ways you cannot imagine.

11. Don’t underestimate the seductive power of an elaborate vocabulary.

12. Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in the problem.

13. People judge you by appearances, the image you project through your actions, words, and style. Act like a king or queen to be treated like one. If you do not take control of this process, then people will see and define you the way they want to, often to your detriment.

14. You are the king or queen and you ignore what offends you. If you waste time and energy in such entanglements, it is your own fault.

15. If you allow people to feel they possess you to any degree, you lose all power over them. By not committing your affections, they will only try harder to win you over.

16. You need to turn your back on what you want, show your contempt and disdain. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.

17. A fake friend can do more damage than a hundred honest enemies. They hide certain qualities and opinions in order to keep you in their side. They are also more prone to envy and ingratitude. Watch who you trust, betrayals are born through friendship.

18. Don’t ever say anything you don’t want played back to you someday.

19. Individuals are honest only to the extent that suits them (including their desire to please others).

20. Evaluate the people in your life; then promote, demote, or terminate. You’re the CEO of your own life. The smarter you are, the more selective you become.

21. Do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn’t making you stronger, they’re making you weaker. Flee from negative people’s presence or suffer the consequences.

22. Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel, energies are contagious. Surround yourself with those on the same mission as you.

23. Be with really smart people. A group of smart people can often feed off of each other and become more than the sum of their individual parts. If you ever find that you’re the smartest person in the room, you need to find another room.

24. If you have the right of way, take it. Say “no” without explaining yourself. Don’t be afraid to dissapoint. What you allow is what will continue, don’t tolerate bad behaviors.

25. If you need to turn people down, it is best to do so politely and respectfully. Some people’s insecurity and ego fragility cannot tolerate the slightest offense.

26. When people treat you like crap they feel like crap. People aren’t against you; they are for themselves. Don’t take on their internal struggle, send them off with peace.

27. Swallow the impulse to offend, even if the other person seems weak. Never make this mistake of thinking that you elevate yourself by humiliating people.

28. It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself.

29. Don’t argue with negative people, this is part of how they trap you. Silence is the best reply to a fool.

30. Just because some people are fueled by drama doesn’t mean you have to attend the performance.

31. The values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are. What you are today and what you will be in five years depends on two things: the people you meet and the books you read.

32. People may not tell you how they feel about you, but always show you. Train yourself to read people, picking up the signals they unconsciously send about their innermost thoughts and intentions.

33. We all eat lies when our hearts are hungry.

34. There is no point in making a display of your controversial beliefs, opinions and dangerous ideas. Think as you like, but behave like others.

35. If you get tired, learn to rest, not quit. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you don’t quit. Commit yourself to constant improvement.

36. Judge everything by what it costs, not just in money but in time, maintenance, dignity, and peace of mind.

37. Keep your cool and maintain a low profile, patiently building support to your rise to power. Once you learn patience, your options suddenly expand.

38. Never flaunt your wealth, and carefully conceal the degree to which it has bought influence. Consider showing your wealth only on the inside of your house.

39. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.

40. Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies.

41. Excessive praise is an almost sure sign that the person praising you envies you. Once envy reveals itself for what it is, the only solution is often to flee the presence of the enviers, leave your enviers to stew in a hell of their own creation.

42. The feelings of achieving success blinds us the most. Give yourself the space to reflect on what has happened.

43. You need to realize that your moment of triumph is also a moment when you have to rely on competence, strategy and focus all the more.

44. Failure will definitely come to you in your journey to power and success. But if you prepare for the fall, it is less likely to ruin you when it happens.

45. Bad luck teaches valuable lessons about patience, timing, and the need to be prepared for the worst. Good luck deludes you into the opposite lesson, making you think your brilliance will carry you through.

46. Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument. If you’ve made your point, stop talking.

47. Don’t get mad, get distant. No matter how strong you are, fighting endless battles with people is exhausting, costly, and unimaginative.

48. Sometimes silence is the best way to let someone know they did you wrong.

49. The best apology is changed behavior.

50. The world is full of men who despise you and fear your ambition. These people will laugh or disrespect your dreams. You must always be prepared to place a bet on yourself, on your future, by heading in a direction that others seem to fear.

51. No one owes you a great career, you need to earn it—and the process won’t be easy.

52. Quitting a job doesn’t jump-start a dream because dreams take planning, purpose, and progress to succeed. That stuff has to happen before you quit your day job.

53. Keep your friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent. Hiring people who possess skills that you yourself lack is probably one of the wisest decisions you can make.

54. A lack of boundaries invites a lack of respect. All working situations require a kind of distance between people.

55. You destroy an enemy when you make a friend of him. Enemies expect nothing so they will be surprised when you are generous.

56. Don’t judge people. Everyone has a chapter they don’t read out loud. Everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.

57. Take photos or record a video as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone forever.

58. At least once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. Travel makes the world look new, and when the world looks new, our brains work harder.

59. Exercise is the single most powerful tool available to optimize brain function. Everybody knows that exercise creates a fit body, but what many forget is that the brain is part of the body too.

60. Typically, people who exercise, start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and show more patience with colleagues and family. They use their credit cards less frequently and say they feel less stressed. Exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change.

61. Walking gives you energy, makes you happy and enhances your creative thinking.

62. Treat your mental health with the same importance as your physical health.

63. Concentrate on single goal, a single task, and beat it into submission. Power itself always exists in concentrated forms.

64. Give a gift of some sort to those above you. By giving your superior a gift, you are saying that the two of you are equal.

65. Choose your life’s mate carefully and marry only for love and self-development. The right partner is someone who sees more potential in you than you see in yourself, someone who helps you become the best version of yourself.

66. Don’t allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It’s there for our convenience, not the caller’s.

67. Don’t burn bridges. You’ll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.

68. If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: it infects people with awkward energy, elicits embarrassment.

69. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.

70. Count your blessings. When you focus on gratitude, positive things flow in more readily, making you even more grateful.

71. The most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.

72. A strong person doesn’t have an easy past. Many people are destined to be weak because they believe life should always be fun and easy.

73. Incompetence is the result of living in comfort and immediate gratification. Incompetent people never gain a proper sense of self-criticism., have lost contact to reality, and overestimate their abilities.

74. When our emotions are engaged, we often have trouble seeing things as they are. Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective.

75. The more you say, the more common you appear.

76. The more you are seen and heard from, the more your value degrades.

77. Most average self-help books can be summarized into 1 sentence: Good thoughts will bring you good things in life, bad thoughts will bring you bad things.

78. Appear to have no clear strategy. Be like a slippery ball that cannot be held. People feel superior to the person whose actions they can predict.

79. Comfort is the enemy of achievement. You’re only growing when you’re uncomfortable. The more conflicts and difficult situations you put yourself through, the more battle-tested your mind will be.

80. Passion only exists when you are very good at something. Achieving your passion requires work. It’s hard. It’s tasteless. It hurts. It demands entering the pain-zone of effort, risk, and exposure.

81. Failure is the sweat of success. You can’t build your cardiovascular strength without working hard and sweating, and you can’t experience success without failure. We mature with the damage, not with the years.

82. Don’t think of an idea of “perfection”, it will only kill your creative juices. Rather, just take the next small step over and over again. Before you realize it, you have accumulated an empire, better than what you thought might be perfect.

83. Your passion should be an obsession. You should be consumed by solving the problem. Otherwise, you get bored and lose interest. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved.

84. Attitude and talent will not make you great. Greatness exists due to intelligence, practice, dedication, persistence, hard work, good resources and the ability handle mistakes.

85. Don’t miss out on something that could be great just because it could also be difficult.

86. Spend some time alone. Solitude is perhaps the most mental entropy inducing agent in our lives.

87. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. If that is not enough, step outside, get some fresh air, & remind yourself of who you are & who you want to be.

88. You will never have this day again so make it count. You’re always one decision away from a totally different life.

89. Events in life mean nothing if you do not reflect on them in a deep way, and ideas from books are pointless if they have no application to life as you live it.

90. You may think that what you’d like to recapture from your youth is your looks, your physical fitness, your simple pleasures, but what you really need is the fluidity of mind you once possessed.