The Alternative Minimum Tax May Be Affecting More People Than Anticipated

Posted on March 31, 2023 by schatzi

The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) was introduced into the tax code in 1969 with the intentions of ensuring that taxpayers who earned a significant income paid some level of taxes even after taking advantage of tax benefits. The AMT is calculated separately for people who earn above a given minimum income as stipulated by law. If the calculated AMT exceeds the taxes calculated regularly, the taxpayer gets to pay the AMT. Though the rate for the tax is low at 28% as compared to the regular tax rate of 35%, it affects a wider range of incomes that may be excluded from the regular tax system.

Increasing Number of Taxpayers Paying ATM

According to statistics from the IRS, only 1% of taxpayers were affected by the alternative tax in 1997. That amount went up to 2.8% in 2008. Analysts project that if Congress does not repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax law, the number of taxpayers who will pay the alternative tax by 2012 will be 20%. The main reasons as to why the number of taxpayers being affected by the alternative tax keeps increasing is mainly because unlike the regular tax rates, AMT is not tied to inflation. The amounts for the caps remain the same and therefore, as incomes increase, more people get into the bracket for the alternative minimum tax. Doug Shulman, the IRS Commissioner pointed out this issue to Congress early 2010 in a bid to have congress review the tax alternative minimum tax process. Congress responded by making adjustments to the tax for 2 years to 2012. However, there is still no long term address to the increasing number of taxpayers who are being affected by the AMT. However, hopefully, Congress will address the issue by the 2012 deadline to provide a more permanent approach to address the AMT issues.

Process of Checking and Paying AMT

Those whose income threshold exceeds the amount defined by the tax law for the AMT will need to calculate the AMT and check if the regular tax plus adjustments exceeds the AMT exemption amount. The taxpayer can use the “AMT Assistant for Individuals” application found on the IRS website to check if they owe alternative taxes. If they do, they will need to fill out the Form 6251, Alternative Minimum Tax – Individuals Form and pay the due taxes.

However, they may be some relief for taxpayers who find that they are not liable to pay the alternative tax but paid AMT in previous years. These taxpayers may be eligible for a special Minimum Tax Credit that can be offset against their due taxes.

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First Quarter 2006 Miami Real Estate Analysis

Posted on March 30, 2023 by schatzi

Alex Shay, an experienced real estate broker associate in Miami, analyzes market conditions and a changing real estate climate in Miami Beach, where luxury waterfront properties have been in high demand for years.

What’s happening in Miami? It’s a question that is asked over and over again. Sellers want to know; and buyers want to know. We’re talking real estate, Miami Beach luxury real estate, to be exact. This is an analysis of the first quarter, which should give you a feel of the real estate climate and marketplace in Miami Beach during the first 3 months of 2006.Do you want to know what’s happening? According to Alex Shay, the best way to describe it is, resistance. It’s a word that Realtors don’t like to hear, but that’s what has been happening. Sellers are keeping their asking prices up, and buyers are resisting. Sellers feel that the number of luxury homes in Miami Beach is very limited, and that the demand is high, and buyers are refusing to pay the prices being asked. “We are experiencing a bit of a standstill in the Miami real estate marketplace”, says Alex Shay, and the result is that there far more luxury waterfront properties on the market now, than there were during the first quarter of just one year ago.

For example, in discussing Miami Beach real estate, including Indian Creek Village, and Bal Harbour, changes are taking place. Last year, during the first quarter, there were 29 closings of listed luxury waterfront properties, as compared to 24 closings during the first 3 months of 2006. However, last year during the same time period, there were less than 90 listed luxury waterfront homes as compared to almost 200 luxury homes that are presently listed on the market for sale. That in itself should tell you that the Miami real estate marketplace has shifted, at least temporarily.People want to know will happen in the future, but a crystal ball has not been found. Alex Shay does have opinions, however, as well as a great deal of experience in the luxury real estate market, and although he doesn’t pretend to be able to predict the future, he says that the demand for luxury waterfront real estate on Miami Beach remains high. Miami is an international city, and the only place in the USA, where the weather remains warm all year round. That makes Miami a very desirable place to live and to own real estate, especially luxury real estate. People come to Miami from all parts of the globe, and some of those people see the investment opportunities that this wonderful city offers. They buy property. For that reason, the demand for real estate is high, and will probably remain high in the foreseeable future. Owning Miami real estate is most likely going to mean that you will be “sitting pretty” at the end of the day. Prices have not gone down in many years, and because the amount of international travel has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, people will continue to purchase Miami Beach real estate. What does it all mean? In Alex Shay’s opinion, it means that although there is presently a temporary standstill, in so far as buyers resisting the high asking prices of sellers, things are still looking good.

Closings of luxury Miami real estate are still happening, and will continue to happen. If a buyer is astute, and allows him or herself, to become well educated in the real estate marketplace, that buyer can make a good deal, and within a few years time, may thank his/her lucky stars for having the courage and willingness to take a chance. A few years ago, buyers would sometimes complain about the high prices. That was when you could pick up a luxury waterfront property, for $500,000. Today that same property may be valued at more than 5 times what it was worth then. Therefore, if you can buy a luxury property on Miami Beach, and get a fair deal, do it. Don’t hesitate. “You wont be sorry”, says Alex Shay. He points out that he has yet to find anyone who said that they were sorry for purchasing Miami Beach property.

Miami is not a city located somewhere in the USA where people merely buy and sell property because they are able to afford more, or because they are downsizing. It’s not a place where only people who live here, buy property. It’s a city where people from all over the world buy and sell, so, unless some unknown disaster strikes, almost anyone buying Miami Beach real estate, is going to be very glad they did.One last thing that should be mentioned is that those who are interested in luxury real estate are not hesitating to purchase a home because of negative economic conditions. It appears as if the economy is fine at the moment. They are hesitating because they don’t know what to do. No one wants to make a bad deal, and no one knows what the future will bring.

They approach Realtors in whose opinion they have some faith, and ask the age-old question; will prices go up or down? In the near future, they won’t go up much, or down much. What can be said is that prices of luxury waterfront property on Miami Beach, have stabilized.

For more information go to http://www.alexshay.com

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Twitter in Internet Marketing

Posted on March 29, 2023 by schatzi

The MLM industry is certainly growing very quickly. This may be because many people are looking for business opportunities that present great compensation plans and alternative methods of marketing. People nowadays are looking for opportunities to earn money that do not ask that much effort from their part. As such, a lot of companies are emerging over the horizon to answer the needs of the society and appeal to people with amazing compensation plans and reward systems. Network marketers are rewarded for their individual sales. More so, they can easily organize a network of individuals composed of those they have successfully brought into the company. Having a downline also entitles you to various bonuses that will help you get the most out of your every effort. Because of everything that multi-level networking businesses has to offer, individuals eagerly step into the shoes of being a network marketer. Most novices to the network marketing industry experience several different problems that may hinder them from fully experiencing the advantages of being a network marketer. Here are some of these common problems and the solutions you can use to find success in the thriving MLM industry.

One often weighs every aspect of each marketing strategy and looks into the pros and cons of using each. Traditional marketing methods are very easy to use even for those who are new to the industry. However, using such methods may reflect heavily on your pocket. More so, not that many people spend their time ogling at flyers or banners displayed and promoting your business. Personal communication and relationship with the clientele also hinders you from reaching out to a lot of people. Internet marketing, on the other hand, is also easy to use and offers you with countless ways to promote your business online. People nowadays solely depend on the Internet for the facts they end to find whatever products and services they may need. Communication between you and the clientele is made much easier when you make use of the Internet since the constraints once set by differences in time and location have become eliminated. As such, you can easily build harmonious relationships with them, something that often leads to repeat business transactions. Choosing the multi-level marketing campaign you will employ in your business should also depend upon your lifestyle and the nature of the business itself. Some businesses are ideally marketed offline while others seem to prosper more when promoted online.

Social media has absolutely captured the attention of the public, which is evident in the fact that nearly everyone has an account in a social networking platform somewhere. Indeed, a lot of social networking sites have emerged to satisfy everyone’s need for communication. Twitter is among the most popular social media platforms that keep people busy. Twitter is successful in connecting millions and millions of people together. However, this can mean more than plain communication for a crafty network marketer. As such, several MLM business owners are utilizing Twitter to aid them in their Internet marketing campaign.

Most people are looking for a way to earn money. Some of these people may have lost their jobs to the economic decline, while others desire to become self-employed and attain some sense of freedom and independence by venturing into their very own business.

Since multi-level marketing is a booming industry, more and more MLM companies are coming out like mushrooms every day. As such, the overwhelming desire of marketers to discover promising business opportunities is growing by the minute. This is so because MLM industry promises great results in terms of earning money. Generally speaking, MLM operates on the principle of leveraging whereas people utilize other people’s resources, efforts, and time for maximized result. They do this by acquiring individuals known as distributors to do the leveraging as well as sell their products and services.

In turn, these distributors are paid through commissions that they made from their sales, varying from 25% to 50% from the retail sales. The income earned from this is apart from what they could earn when they build a downline organization to maximize the sale of the company’s products and services. In addition, there’s the compensation plan, which payment scheme vary depending on the MLM company’s system. Active distributors enjoy lucrative income whereas the network marketers who are not serious in doing the business receive less compensation. The type of compensation ranges from money, cars, cruises, and trips abroad among others.

A lot of things that we may have gotten used to has changed. Technology has changed the thing we have come to know, and for the better. Everything has become virtually much easier and convenient. We are able to keep pace with the changing times and meet the changing demands of society. As such, in order not to be left behind in the network marketing industry, you should know of the many innovative ways through which can promote your business and head towards success. Online marketing is one such technique, and social network marketing is one of its most popular options.

Social media marketing has indeed become extremely widespread, and Twitter has become an essential tool for Internet marketers who wish to have access to as many Internet marketing strategies and methods as possible. This is a great move for MLM business owners because Twitter actually has a number of advantages when used in Internet marketing.

The most obvious and essential advantage of using Twitter in Internet marketing is its wide and extensive reach. The Internet is accessible by everyone who has an Internet connection, and nearly everyone has access to it. However, the chance of getting found online can be quite miniscule. Using Twitter gives you a much better chance and puts you on the mainstream of the online community. It helps you gain prospective prospects by providing a series of relevant and useful tweets that will attract them to your business. Also, it’s a great way to maintain communication and build lasting relationship to your already existing market base.

Internet marketing is generally cheaper than other conventional marketing methods. Using the Internet as a marketing tool also does not require the employment of individuals, saving you from having to pay salaries. These savings will reflect on your earnings, reducing the amount of costs and adding to your income. Establishing a website or a blog can be basically free, though fees has to be paid in order to develop it further but maintaining them can be quite difficult and expensive. This is when Twitter becomes handy. You only have to create your account and follow as many popular users so as to help you get noticed by others. You only have to constantly Tweet, and you have already maintained your Twitter account that has the potential of leading people to your business.

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Qualify For a Loan Regardless of Credit

Posted on March 28, 2023 by schatzi

There are many reasons that you may have bad or poor credit. You may have had an illness, a death in the family, or even a job loss that has resulted in your credit score being tarnished. It is a hard stigma to live with. But there is hope for those looking to acquire credit and rebuild their history. There is a multitude of subprime creditors who are looking for customers with bad credit that need a second chance.

Just as there are many people with bad credit, there are many types of loans for them. Finding the loan for your particular situation can be stressful – the following loans are the most common.

Pay Day Loans

For short-term needs such as car repairs or a forgotten utility bill, the payday loan is perfect for people with bad credit. There is no credit check, and the requirements are simple. You must have a job and a checking account. A quick application and copies of your identification, recent paystubs, and perhaps a couple of references (such as a friend or co-worker) are generally all that you need to receive a payday loan (sometimes called a payday advance). You will simply write a post-dated check for the loan amount plus interest and fees that the payday loan establishment will hold for an agreed upon amount of time, typically two weeks, but as long as a month.

When you receive your next paycheck, you either return to retrieve the check and pay the face amount, or it will be deposited into your checking account for payment. Payday loans are readily available for those with even the worst credit imaginable, and are relatively inexpensive when you consider that you need the money fast. Online payday lenders generally offer great rates and have an easy application process. They tend to be a convenient alternative to traditional payday loan sources. It is important to remember that payday loans do not build positive credit history because they require no credit reporting.

Throw Away Your Bus Pass – Bad Credit Auto Loans

Bad credit automobile loans are quite common. As with a traditional auto loan, the loan servicer will put a lien against the title of the vehicle that you wish to purchase. You may be required to present a down payment that is equal to a certain percentage of the value of the vehicle. The interest rates for bad credit automobile loans is a little bit higher than a loan for individuals with good credit, but these types of loans can help to rebuild a positive credit history in a short period of time; often, the borrower will have a great enough increase in their credit score before the loan is paid off to be able to refinance at a lower rate. There are many reputable online sites that offer comparison shopping for bad credit automobile loans. Using one of these services can greatly increase your chance of getting a better interest rate due to competition among lenders.

Personal Loans

Personal loans for bad credit are no longer the “stuff of dreams”. More and more lenders are willing to process personal loans for those with lower FICO scores. Personal loans can be for home improvement, travel, car repair, or virtually anything else that you need cash for. A common practice for those with bad credit who are seeking a personal loan is to start with the least amount of funds that they can get by with for the particular need. By paying off smaller personal loans, positive credit history is established which can lead to better interest rates and higher approval amounts on larger loans in the future. Again, online sources for personal loans are a great way to get the best deal on your loan (which makes your payments easier to manage).

Educational Loans

For students, a bad credit student loan can make all the difference between achieving their goals for their education or landing in a dead-end job. Bad credit student loans are available from many lenders and are useful to help cover rent expenses, tuition, books, computers, clothing, and other necessities while a student is in school. There are many online sites that cater to students with less-than-sparkling credit scores, and their approval rates are high.

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