Call me old fashioned, but I love being married. When I met my future wife, we fell in love and we knew we wanted to get married. I had a Masters Degree in Tax and helped many clients minimize their taxes. I knew exactly what our marriage would cost. We were married anyway despite the Marriage Tax Penalty. We are still in love and I love being married. We also still pay higher taxes for being married. What are the facts? In 1990 55% of US households were married, in 2000 51% and in 2010 it is 49%. Clearly more couples chose not to marry. How did the Marriage Tax Penalty come about? It was supposed to help married couples with one income which at the time was the majority of US households. Today most couples living together have two incomes whether they are married or not. This older law penalizes the married couples. Its not a huge penalty, but when we were married my wife and I did feel it. I personally think marriage is worth the tax penalty. … [Read more...] about Taxes in 2013 – The Marriage Tax Penalty
Archives for March 2014
Saving Money In My Home Laundry
This month I'd like to talk about a simple way to save money. Saving money is like tax free income and puts money in my bank account I would not otherwise have. Consumer's Report did a great article on effectiveness versus price of laundry detergent. I personally find the price per use misleading as it is based on an unrealistic quantity of the product. The conclusion I drew from Consumer's Report is Wisk Deep Clean this is liquid costs 14 cents per load. It scored an 80 out of 100. Costco's Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean this is powder and runs 9 cents per load. It scored 73. Target Up and Up is liquid and is 13 cents per load and scored 69 out of 100. Both of those "best buys" are much cheaper than Tide Ultra plus Bleach Vivid White + Bright HE (powder), the highest-ranked laundry detergent of all. At 23 cents a load, the Tide offering got an 82 yet failed to clinch the magazine's seal of approval. … [Read more...] about Saving Money In My Home Laundry
