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Career Management in a Jobless Economy
Recent news from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting anemic job growth in a recovering economy and the election of thousands to quit looking for work continues to baffle the experts and depress the unemployed. If only there were jobs…...
Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before Launching a New Business
Owning a home used to be the “American Dream.” However, this long-standing goal that so many aspired to, and ultimately reached, has been replaced with a new goal -- becoming a business owner. At first glance it sounds perfect: Leave the corporate...
"Sports Betting as an Alternative Investment."
Many will dismiss outright the ability to make good returns on your investment through the medium of sports betting. It is not really surprising as betting is hard work, solitary, and you have to grind out thousands of bets to get your returns. ...
The Top 10 Strategies For Moving into Action and For Getting Bottom Line Results
Your ability to move into action and to achieve bottom line results rests in the power of your thinking. These ten strategies will support you in transforming your desires into concrete action.
Your ability to move into action and to achieve...
Wearing Your Politics on Your Sleeve
As the election season heats up, progressively minded entrepreneurs are combining their politics, creativity, and business savvy in an all-out effort to defeat George W. Bush in 2004.
"Vote for Anyone but Bush 2004," says one slogan. "Not my...
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Ben Franklin Didn't Quite Get it Right
When Ben Franklin said "a penny saved is a penny earned", he didn't quite get it right. Actually, a penny saved is worth more than a penny earned. Do you find this statement shocking? I am about to prove to you that what I'm saying is true.
Most people erroneously believe the best way to strengthen their financial health is to increase their income. On the contrary, saving money by cutting costs will get you there quicker. You see, it's very simple. When your income increases (with some exceptions like the part of it you put into your 401k), that extra money is taxed. On the other hand, any amount you save by cutting costs is not taxed. Therefore, $20 saved by cutting costs is worth more than a $20 increase in income.
The following (although over-simplified) example will illustrate this principle. Let's suppose that Jack and Cindy have identical jobs and incomes. Let's also suppose they shop at the same grocery store and pay about the same amount for groceries each week. Now, Jack gets a $20 per week pay increase and Cindy does not. However, at about that same time, Cindy finds a new grocery store where she is able to save $20
per week on her grocery bill. Assuming nothing else has changed, Cindy is now better off financially than Jack, even though she did not get a raise and he did. How can this be? It's because Jack has to pay taxes on his $20 raise but Cindy does not have to pay taxes on her $20 grocery discount. Assuming Jack is in the 25% federal tax bracket (and disregarding any possible increase in his state or local taxes), he will be able to put only $15 into his piggy bank each week whereas Cindy will be able to put the whole $20 a week into hers!
Bottom Line: It is more blessed to receive a discount than to receive an equal amount in a pay increase!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Hopewell, VA. He also serves as a political columnist for American Daily and operates his own website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.
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