Author Archives: GubMints

Retire Early using the Solo 401k Parachute

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Solo 401k Parachute

Are you looking to Retire Early, but don’t want to pay a penalty to access the money you saved before you turn age 59.5?

 

Got a ton of retirement money stashed in the TSP, an IRA, former employer’s 401k, or other Qualified Retirement Plan?

 

Are you also looking to implement a withdrawal strategy that does not force you in to a 5-year waiting period like the ‘Roth Conversion Ladder’ does?

 

There’s a perfectly legal method to get to your Retirement Plan money at age 55 without paying a penalty, and it’s called the Solo 401k.

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Join Lending Club Today and earn 3.38%

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Lending Club PRIME account

You won’t see that headline splashed across Lending Club’s home page.

Unfortunately for Lending Club, like most people who file for income taxes, this is the time of year when I review my year-end bank and investment statements to see how things are going.

I guess Lending Club is counting on me (and the rest of its investors) not performing this annual review of investment summary statements.

Because if they were, there would be even more bad press for Lending Club. Continue reading →

Download Free eBooks to the Amazon Fire 5

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I just got a Kindle Fire (5th Gen) for Christmas – So far I like it a lot.   I wanted a cheap tablet to use as a web browser and book reader, with occasional email or video watching.  After seeing how easy it is to crack the screen on my Wife’s iPad mimi (and how expensive the screen is to replace) I opted for the Kindle Fire 5.

I was perfectly ready to accept being bombarded with advertisements on the Fire 5, as Amazon has heavily subsidized the $100+ manufacturing cost of the $34 sales price on my Kindle Fire 5, knowing that I will be a captive, revenue-generating member of the Amazon and Amazon Prime ecosystem if I frequently use the Fire 5.

What I was NOT ready for was how painful it is to download free eBooks from Feedbooks.com or Gutenberg.org.   There’s some nasty writeups on the Gutenberg webpage about the stinginess of the Amazon Fire- Gutenberg’s website all-out recommends you get a Nexus 7 Tablet as the alternative free e-book reader and stay away from the Kindle Fire 5.

Fortunately I figured out a free eBook download work-around that is not too annoying. Continue reading →

46,000 Reasons TSP is better than a 401(k)

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Thrift Savings Plan Guidance for Federal Furlough

Thrift Savings Plan Guidance for Federal Furlough

 

Recently the WSJ posted an article about all the bookkeeping, tax filing, legal, and administrative fees necessary to operate a company’s 401(k) program on behalf of its employees.  This, by the way, is on TOP of the expense ratios charged within the mutual fund investments available inside the Plan.
If you work for a small company, these administrivia fees add up (and NOT in your favor).  Vanguard – the low cost provider of all things investing- estimates these charges as totaling 0.25% in a very large company plan, and 0.58% for a smaller company plan.

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