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The U.S. stock market at the time of writing, (August 16, 2007), has spent a large part of the summer so far in a seemingly unstoppable swoon that has spooked all but the hardiest of investors and traders. Many may wish that some kind of simple guidelines were in existence that could provide pointers as to which time of the year may be the most suited for bullish bets in the market and which constitutes the best time to take money off the table. How much easier it would be to make money in the market if buy and sell decisions could be made simply by referring to the calendar!Techniques designed to time markets in order to maximize profits come in many shapes and forms and naturally there are many opinions as to when might be the most propitious times during the year to buy and sell stocks. Statistically, September .. more»

It is no secret that insurance companies, like every other company, have operating expenses and the desire to earn a profit. Most insurance companies have "expense ratios" of around 30-35%, claim handling expenses of 10% or so, and would like to make a profit of 5-10%. This only leaves about 50% left for actual claim payments. To look at it another way the insurance company has to charge you about double what they expect to pay in claims. You will save approximately 50% in the long run by self-insuring the claims that you can comfortably afford to absorb yourself.However bear a few things in mind.First, the short run and the long run are two very different things and Murphy's Law can throw a wrench into the best laid plans. Even if you expect to average 2 auto collision claims per year for a total of $20,000, it is certainly possible .. more»

When it comes to taxable income, the Internal Revenue Service cannot consider many things as non-taxable. Trading your services will not help as well. This is because the value of non-cash items has to be established and then calculated as income. Also, you are not permitted to keep your money in a foreign bank (so as to earn interest secretly). You also cannot escape with covert ways to make that extra cash. Uncle Sam does not care about what channel you are using to make your extra money, as long as he gets his cut.There are, however, a few sources of income that the IRS does not consider taxable. This includes disaster relief grants, child support payments, welfare benefits, emotional distress damages, foster care payments, worker's compensation, black lung disease benefits, casualty insurance, and various other compensations. Property inheritance is not taxable. However, you will still owe the Internal Revenue .. more»