Wednesday, February 29, 2012

A Lawn Maintenance Business Is The Featured Business For Sale ...

Sunbelt Business Brokers of Raleigh?s featured business for sale for February 2012 is a lawn maintenance business that has two year contracts in place and is a great value. This business for sale serves the Durham, Chapel Hill, and Burlington areas of North Carolina. It is a low risk and profitable business!

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) February 28, 2012

One strong attraction of this lawn maintenance business to a buyer is its low risk profile. The business? customers have two year contracts which insure the company?s continued success. ?The two year contracts, and the fact that we all know that the grass is going to keep growing, makes this a low risk business,? says Charlotte Morgan of Sunbelt Business Brokers. With high unemployment, a person buying a business to create income is a good option, but they find themselves nervous about the economy. This business for sale earns our ?Featured? status due to its being a low-risk business acquisition.

The business has been in operation for years and not only is the customer base steady, as noted above, but so is the work force. The two crew managers have been with the company long term and will stay with the business. Earnings average around $80,000 and the asking price is $165,000. ?The key here is that the owners do almost no marketing. The upside potential is tremendous,? says Sunbelt?s Morgan.

When Sunbelt of Raleigh features a business for sale, advertising is enhanced across most mediums. Sunbelt Business Brokers uses fourteen different advertising websites to promote businesses for sale. The company then highlights those advertisements to increase exposure and buyer traffic.

Sunbelt is the world?s largest business brokerage firm, with approximately 250 licensed offices located throughout the world. Annually, more than 1,400 Sunbelt brokers coordinate an estimated 3,000 Main Street and Middle Market business transactions. That is why the company says, ?Sunbelt is the place to go to buy or sell a business.?

The Raleigh office of Sunbelt has been serving buyers and sellers for 25 years. There is an experienced staff of brokers including specialists in the Food Beverage Business and Publishing Media.

###

Charlotte Morgan
Sunbelt Business Brokers
919-787-0566
Email Information

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawn-maintenance-business-featured-business-sale-february-2012-080825925.html

Source: http://www.rethinkingsales.com/2012/02/28/a-lawn-maintenance-business-is-the-featured-business-for-sale-for-february-2012-at-sunbelt-business-brokers-of-raleigh/

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Romney fights to avoid home-state embarrassment (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - Mitt Romney is fighting to avoid an embarrassing home-state loss in a high-stakes Michigan primary that will not decide the Republican presidential contest but could scar the former Massachusetts just a week before Super Tuesday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120228/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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student loan company | California Lawyers Atttorneys Law Firms ...

February 29th, 2012

Financing are a part of todays modern life that many individuals can?t stay clear of. Regardless if it?s paying for an automobile, purchasing a house or financing an education, we oftentimes need to borrow profit from Peter to pay Paul. Often financing come disguised as Low Interest Student Loans chances in the form of low interest rates. Obviously low interest rates are desired to excessive costs, but after some time even a very low interest rate can transform a substantial expense.Fledgling pilot financing are the single most common causes of low hobby debt. Each of these financing are usually sponsored from the authorities and also the repayments late while one finishes institution, which allows the debt to silently add up without one noticing the mounting expenses. Once one finishes institution, patrons often position a very low repayment restriction that may keeps the loan active form a few years, further exacerbating the entire costs of the loan.

That simple student finance of twenty dollar,000 at 3% hobby can nearly twice in expense on the next many a long time.Often, we?re not an excessive amount of skeptical because of the financing that include low hobby and please don?t even idea them all being a debt often times. Our team become so aware of making payment on compact cost month after month so it becomes certain and doesn?t cause united states concern yourself. A lot of people created certain repayments to fund the least repayment and might not even think about the loan over the years while it gently edibles away at your wages and possible money.A lot of people instantly think that it really makes more feel to pay back larger interest rate financing first.

This particularly seo services is okay in case you actually expect to pay off all of your financing and generate a agency intend to accomplish that. The problem is that folks often learn that they can never completely pay off excessive hobby financing for instance credit cards. Meanwhile, the low hobby finance gently nibbles away. If you happen to think that this will likely be the case together with you, do not delay ? pay off the low hobby finance first to obtain it out of the approach. Once this finance is gone, the money everybody rescue should go towards paying down your other financing.

If nothing else, it should feel good to own one or more finance completely over the guides.Low hobby student financing are designed throughout the assumption that may one?s earning possible would go up after open house. This is certainly regularly the problem. The situation is supplied by individuals spending their new wages about living instead of giving service to the loan within a sensible way. unlock iphone as they definitely were actually produced, each of these financing greatly help striving starters spend their charges while they receive their measures. However if these are abused, perhaps the low interest rate can easily result in fiscal concerns priced everybody additional in comparison with necessary.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Low Interest Student Loans

Source: http://fastlifeskate.com/?p=1589

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Find the best Green Limo|Naperville Limo locally and also feel as if ...

Limousines are normally applied as well as used by a wide range of motives, the commonest becoming wedding party and also relationships, any type of party, holidays, caring schedules, airport moves, escape to paris air-port purchases, capon operates, stag activities, loved-one?s birthday celebrations, residence coming occasions, senior high school proms, Twenty first Birthday celebrations, and others.

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If you want to live important for only a little while, there is no replacement for obtaining a extravagant vehicle. Here?s ideal for purchase the vehicle throughout Naperville in addition to some suggestions regarding how to offer you the most for that investment.

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Source: http://silverliningproj.org/27/find-the-best-green-limonaperville-limo-locally-and-also-feel-as-if-a-celeb/

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

RADIO BACH REPLACED WITH KMBZ 'BUSINESS CHANNEL ...

JohnLandsberg
February 27th, 2012

????? Kansas City?s classical music station, Radio Bach on AM 1660, will be going away and replaced with the new ?KMBZ Business Channel on 1660,??reliable sources have told Kansas City Public Relations agency Bottom Line Communications.
???? The station could go ?live? this week with an official start date slated for Monday, March 5.
???? Former KMBZ afternoon talk show co-host and Kansas City radio icon Mike Shanin will serve as the station?s business editor and?host a new show titled ?The Power Lunch with Mike Shanin? from 11am to 1pm Monday through Friday.
??? Radio Bach was known for several years as ?KXTR.??
???? Plans call for the new station to be a business extension of Entercom-Kansas City?s KMBZ brand and will entail a huge amount of cross promotion between the two stations.
???? KMBZ Newsradio (FM 98.1/AM 980) will provide 1660 all of its local and national news updates, breaking news, weather, traffic, etc., while
1660 will provide KMBZ all of its business and market updates and business news.
???? The all-business station is designed to build on the success of KMBZ with programming involving a mix of Wall Street Journal Radio, Bloomberg Radio and local shows with plans to add more local shows between 9-11am right away, and in the future a local afternoon drive wrap up show.
??? Radio Bach has already donated its musical playlist of 3,700 CD?s to Kansas Public Radio at the University of Kansas.
???? ?Kansas Public radio has seven stations and an HD station at KPR2 and they have a broad and modern platform,? says Dave Alpert, Vice President and General Manager of Entercom Kansas City.
??? ?We know classical music fans will be in good hands with Kansas Public Radio.? ?The addition of these classics to our library will help us in some small way keep the spirit of KXTR alive here at KPR.?
???? KPR?s classical music director said in a news release the donation will be a great addition to the KPR music library.
??? ?We?re thrilled that the people at Entercom so generously thought to donate the KXTR music library to Kansas Public Radio,? Mark Edwards says. ?The addition of these classics to our library will help us in some small way keep the spirit of KXTR alive here at KPR.?

Source: http://www.bottomlinecom.com/radio-bach-replaced-with-kmbz-business-channel/

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Monday, February 27, 2012

We're Berlin, not Barcelona, says Hertha coach

Hertha Berlin coach Otto Rehhagel has demanded more time to turn his team's fortunes around after they dropped into the relegation zone after their seventh straight defeat in the German league.

The former Greece manager took over at Hertha last Sunday when Michael Skibbe was sacked after losing all five of his games in charge.

After finishing last in the 2009/10 season, Hertha came straight back up last season after winning the second division at a canter, but the capital city club are again facing relegation.

Hertha suffered a 3-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Augsburg on Saturday to go 16th of the Bundeliga's 18 teams and they are just two points away from the bottom of the league.

"I did not think that after two weeks here we would be up to third place in the league," said the 73-year-old with a hint of sarcasm.

"We are not Bayern Munich and it is clear that we do not play like Barcelona."

After a low-key training session on Sunday, Rehhagel gave his players Monday off and said now is not the time for punishing sessions after the defeat saw Augsburg climb out of the relegation zone.

"The guys need to relax mentally, they are all incredibly disappointed," said Rehhagel.

"They should go to their families and on Tuesday we will work with them again."

Having been heralded as the saviour of Hertha last weekend, Rehhagel was dealt a double blow of reality as his team conceeded two goals in two second-half minutes from Augsburg's Thorsten Oehrl on Saturday.

Cameroon's Marcel Ndjeng came off the bench to score the hosts' third in the 92nd minute to ensure it was a long drive back to the capital from Bavaria for the Hertha team and their fans.

"You can have three Otto Rehhagels and Mourinho (in charge), but if we play like that, no one can help us," admitted Hertha captain Andre Mijatovic.

With less than three months until the season's end, Rehhagel said his team are drinking in the last-chance saloon with closing time approaching.

"It is now three minutes to midnight and we are dancing on a razor's edge," said the German who led Greece to the Euro 2004 title.

Rehhagel has some tricky games ahead as Hertha face Werder Bremen and Cologne in the coming weeks before they host Bayern Munich on March 17.

Source: http://www.emirates247.com/sports/football/we-re-berlin-not-barcelona-says-hertha-coach-2012-02-26-1.445231

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Egypt says Brit tried to smuggle artifacts (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Two Egyptian men walk by a mural supporting the revolution with Arabic that reads 'Your address is here in Tahrir' at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)AP - Egyptian security officials say they have thwarted an attempt by a British man and his wife to smuggle 19 artifacts out of the country.


Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/fossils/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120226/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt_antiquities

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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Ferment Del Norte

In 2008, The California Endowment came to Crescent City with its Building Healthy Communities Initiative. ?One of the primary reasons we were chosen was a severe lack of food security and sovereignty, coupled with some of the worst health statistics in the state. ?We were a sick community, and our lack of a healthy food system seemed to only be making things worse. ?With the introduction of The California Endowment's generous grants and support, members of our community were given unprecedented resources to organize and enact some amazing work around food, and I'm continuously grateful to TCE for making it possible.

And with all the work that is possible because of TCE's interest in our community, there have been ancillary benefits to our community that go beyond all the great work that we see and do every day and are not as immediately apparent. ?When the work of BHC was initiated, it was necessary to identify and engage a number of young people to help enact all the work that had been planned and would continuously be carried out over the next ten years. ?All of a sudden there was a surprising number of young adults in our community doing positive work, both from within the community and from outside. ?Some were Americorps VISTAs from all over the country, some were homegrown Del Norters who were empowered to take an active role in the improvement of their community, maybe for the first time ever. ?TCE helped bring people together, and helped steer our collective consciousness and conversation toward healthy food, creativity, and community action.

Before this influx, it may have been difficult for a group of friends to enact an idea about a club focused around fermentation. ?And a club focused around fermentation that doesn't?emphasize drinking alcohol, but instead seeks to emphasize the health benefits of fermentation, culturally, physically, and spiritually?? ?Let's just say that club may never have gotten legs. ?However, as it is, that's exactly what happened. ?Only two months ago, I was eating some fresh-caught local crab with two good friends, Tasha Sparks and Aaron Valley, when the conversation quickly turned toward the homemade mead we were drinking. ?We were intrigued by a story about where the term "honeymoon" came from and how fermented beverages have played a role in cultural histories. ?In our own histories, we all had some connection to fermentation. ?I have been brewing beer since high school in small batches; Tasha worked in an educational kitchen in Berkeley where she learned how to make fermented foods; Aaron started brewing years earlier and became and avid and productive home-brewer in college. ?We all had experience and appreciated the way fermented foods and beverages bring people together, and fermentation is an almost endless source of new knowledge when it comes to learning about the process. ?Why not take advantage of this demographic shift toward impassioned 20-somethings and get people together to expand our collective knowledge and production of fermented goods? ?Next thing we knew, we had the idea to create a club.

After the initial inception of the idea for a club, we spread the word to our friends and people we thought might be interested. ?It started with a Facebook group which quickly swelled to about 15 members who joined just on the strength of the idea, and possible interest in belonging to a group that would be making its own beer. ?But from the get-go, alcohol was not the focus of the group, and in talking to more and more people about the idea, conversations became more about the potential for a group like this to experiment and create foods together, foods that might not be readily available in a place like Del Norte. ?I can't speak for the other founding members, but at those early stages I wondered how far this idea would really go, and whether it would really keep people's interest consistently enough to produce some great food and drink.

I have yet to be anything but impressed by the pure enthusiasm and support the club has gotten. ?We had our first meeting in mid-January, fairly well-attended by about 15 people, and everyone embraced the idea and was eager to propose ideas for projects and sign up to carry those projects out. ?At that first meeting, we created a sort of loose structure around how the club would be organized and continue: ?We would have monthly meetings on the full moon where we would get together in the evening to talk about fermentation, share things we've learned, suggest ideas for projects, talk about methods for fermentation we've used in the past; these would be our "theory" meetings. ?And at our theory meetings would be the time to propose new projects, and between full moon meetings, the club would break up into smaller groups to carry out those projects and create food and drink; those would be the "practice." Each project would have a project leader who would be responsible for organizing interested club members, finding a location, procuring ingredients, and making sure the project was recorded and reported on the group's website. ?Whatever was created would be brought to the next full moon meeting to be shared and consumed with the group, if it was ready.

The club hit the ground running with projects. ?Since that first meeting, we have made 2 homebrewed beers, beet kvass, sourdough, kimchi, ginger champagne, apple cider vinegar, root beer, kefir, and sauerkraut. What's more impressive than the number of goods we've created is the support we've generated. ?It seems like 80% of my non-work conversations are about Ferment Del Norte (and maybe 5% of the time it comes up at work). ?It has generated a fantastic article in The Triplicate, 40 members on the Facebook group, and over 1,000 views on our website (fermentdelnorte.com). ?And it has also generated interest among the people in our community who specifically work in food production and policy. ?The club counts among its members four local organic farmers and two members of our Community Food Council. ?As I mentioned, TCE helped make healthy foods a topic in our county-wide conversation amongst all demographics, and Ferment Del Norte is providing a venue ?for the conversation to continue in a social setting; both are helping instigate positive, creative action.

Source: http://growingtables.blogspot.com/2012/02/ferment-del-norte.html

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The Cardinal Rules regarding Fishing Jigs, Rods and Fishing Tackle ...

Bass flourish perfectly almost in every liquid volume, whether it?s in a reservoir, a river or perhaps an open sea. But this isn?t precisely why they are one of the most hunted sporting fish. Their status is because of their speed, dexterity, fighting character along with the aerial acrobatics they?re able to demonstrating once hooked.

Anglers enjoy the thrills, the tough battles and the hefty circulation of adrenalin when they?re doing their part of the water; and no other victim can give this kind of heady combination of water hunting much like the bass. After we saw in the earlier article, this is a contest which victory depends on several intricate and highly sensitive factors such as velocity, precision, awareness; but most of all, obtaining the appropriate kind of bass fishing rod. Working together aided by the earlier mentioned components are the dimensions of fish an angler is seeking, that also rests on a watchful selection of bass fishing tackle, and the ability to figure out shade and weight of your finished bass fishing jigs if at all you create your own.

Just like any other sports activity, fishing for marine life mandates cautious preparation, responsibility, and good tools. As they say, the weight of a fish is usually the entirely title to its popularity; every top notch angler knows also well that the easiest way in maximizing the possibilities of connecting and catching a huge hook is primarily reliant on an effective bass fishing rod. As recently motioned in the last article, this is a fairly difficult activity, but with vigilant hunting, you can pick the right device from the numerous makers, styles and sizes of rods available in fisher outlets. To start with you have to imagine oneself wrestling along with a particular measurements of fish. In other words, you should buy a fishing rod based on the type of bait you want to use as well as the measurements of fish you are fishing for.

What next, given that you have the correct fishing rod, and you also know who particularly you?ll be intending to pick a fight with down there? The successful reeling in of fish is not just an experimentation event; instead, it also weighs heavily on the use of certain bass fishing tackle. Hey, only a moment, we are forgetting one thing. Before you set out to difficult tackle a handy bass, it is advisable to locate their hideaway. Where should you begin looking, and do you know the seasonal phases of the bass?

Absolutely if you are an experienced angler then you will appreciate that the greater the sun becomes above and heats up the water temperature through the 50?s then towards the 60s, bass will certainly travel to shallow places to spawn. Where then do you start ones hunting from? The best areas are places where the bottom part is difficult, and there is shallow cover as well as vegetation. Trying to capture fish in temps beneath forty degrees is another pot of fish. They?re primarily lazy, non-active, unsporting, and hard to trap in these temps. Simple, you must understand and correctly translate environmental situations, superb bass fishing tackle or not!

Get more info facts about bass fishing jigs.

Source: http://duuuude.co.cc/2012/02/25/the-cardinal-rules-regarding-fishing-jigs-rods-and-fishing-tackle/

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Saturday, February 25, 2012

OMOIGUI-OKAURU: ESSENTIAL TAX ADMINISTRATOR | NBF ...

Omoigui-Okauru: Essential tax administrator
By Emeka Okoroanyanwu
Saturday February 25, 2012

Omoigui

Prior to her appointment to the chair of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in 2004, Nigeria had no broad vision guiding tax policy and administration. What obtained were sundry processes and structures to formulate strategies for tax administration.

The structures and processes were mainly derived from common laws, directives from the supervising ministry of finance, tax treaties that Nigeria signed with other nations and international conventions and administrative processes that are haphazardly put in place.
This situation often gave rise to disagreements among federal, states and local governments and between revenue collection agencies. The disagreement often bordered on the nature, scope and fairness of tax revenue collections and its sharing by Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).

However, with the coming on board of Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, all these changed.

Omoigui-Okauru who came with high recommendations to the Chair of the Federal Board of Inland Revenue (FBIR) ? the organization that oversees the work of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) ? which she also heads, initiated the boldest tax reforms Nigeria ever had and secured the now famous National Tax Policy.
With a first-class honours degree in Accounting and a Master of Science Degree in Management Science, a distinguished professional experience in accounting and management consulting, from world-class change management firms, she was expected, upon arrival, to drive the tax reforms that the then Olusegun Obasanjo administration was trying to get off the ground through her predecessor, another very resources technocrat, Mr Balama Manu.

Omoigui-Okauru?s destination points, as the first female Executive Chairman of the FIRS and Chairman of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), so also her persona were common knowledge. Everyone knew, for instance, that while the rest of the world depended on tax as the major source of income for national development, Nigeria continued to depend on oil which prices and production are volatile and unstable. Tax revenue continues to place a poor second behind oil earnings, what little tax was garnered also depended highly on one form of tax ? Petroleum Profits Tax ? that is tied to crude oil production.
In particular, petroleum profit tax consistently contributed over 70 percent of annual tax harvests in the FIRS. Value Added Tax (VAT) ? an indirect tax on Nigerian consumers follows this. This trend persisted since the reforms began.

The FIRS that Mrs. Omoigui-Okauru met in 2004 was indeed a troubled tax agency with so many problems working against effective tax administration.
Incidences of massive tax leakages and wide scale corruption were common, the outcome of alleged collusion between taxpayers and tax administrators.

Unfortunately, the system failed to prosecute corporate tax offenders, including those who owed assessed taxes for years and those who would not pay. Powerful -individuals, multinational corporations, international oil prospecting companies, and local business moguls also contributed to shrinking tax revenue by actively seeking and obtaining concessions, exemptions, and waivers from succeeding governments.
On assumption of office, Mrs. Omoigui-Okauru immediately set about the task of developing a strategy to deal with the problems and to rebrand FIRS for ?professionalism, integrity, and efficiency.?

Her objectives were to clarify the mission and goals as well as values and structure of the organization, stop leakages and corruption, secure funding to pull the agency out of the mainstream civil service pay structure and make it operationally autonomous and build the institution and its human resource. After securing her flanks, she quickly moved to prosecute tax offenders, expand the tax net, and limit the unbridled exemptions and waivers being granted by the executive. Her critical targets were to influence the adoption of a tax policy for Nigeria, amend the tax laws, and obtain greater autonomy and better funding for FIRS. She accomplished all these.
Omoigui-Okauru?s administration has so far spearheaded comprehensive tax reforms that span tax policy, legislation and administration. To date, she has facilitated; the approval of the National Tax Policy by both the Federal Executive Council and the National Economic Council, the drafting of a comprehensive legal framework and the passage of five Acts namely: FIRS (Establishment) Act 2007, Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act 2007, Companies Income Tax (Amendment) Act 2007, National Automotive Council (Amendment) Act 2007 and Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act 2011.

Three of the most recent major projects currently being undertaken include: re-launching of the self assessment approach to tax administration towards entrenching a more compliant tax system; the implementation of the Unique Tax Payer Identification Number project in collaboration with the State Revenue Authorities under the auspices of the Joint Tax Board, and the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS) Project to automate tax administration throughout the Service.

On her assumption of duty, the first place that felt her impact was the staff. In an attempt to unravel the causes of corruption in tax offices, she came to the conclusion that poverty and fear of the unknown, more than greed, drove the unethical issues. She saw that staff of the agency collected billions of naira for the government each year, but were poorly remunerated. Apart from pursuing funding and autonomy strategies, she set about reorganizing the organizational structure and internal control mechanism, training and persuading people to change their attitude. She equally set up a whistle-blower unit, which collected information anonymously to investigate wrongdoing. Security agencies were co-opted for this exercise.

Although she strictly and firmly implemented a zero-tolerance for corruption, she recognized that the staff needed financial motivation to drive the tax harvest. From the onset, she single-mindedly pursued the twin issues of funding autonomy and freeing the agency from core civil service structure. She then launched initiatives to make it easy for taxpayers to comply with tax payments without being coerced.
The FIRS that Ms Omoigui met on ground was an exclusive, opaque organization, where good corporate governance was held at bay. The organization had for sometime fended for itself by dutifully understating its earning potentials, and then over-shooting its assigned targets in order to earn annual bonus. At the same time, many of the field officers were accused of collaborating with taxpayers to promote under-assessments, ostensibly to derive benefits from their appreciative ?customers.?

Ms. Omoigui read the riot act on assumption of duty from day one. First, she initiated a new ethical code, which charges a tax officer to avoid tarnishing the image of the Service through dishonesty and impartiality in the interpretation of tax laws. Tax officers were warned to desist from colluding with taxpayers to defraud or reduce tax obligations, and to stoutly refuse gratification in any form. The Code also enjoins the tax official to be professional and diligent, and to educate and encourage taxpayers to pay promptly and correctly.
Impressed with the speed and passion with which she set about her task, the Federal Government, under President Obasanjo, came to her rescue by allowing the FIRS to keep four percent of non-oil taxes as cost of collection. In addition, the World Bank also committed $8 million to the reform efforts for the engagement of consultants.

There were clear cases of fraud, conversion, and diversions of tax revenue among big and multinational corporations. Government agencies were not left out of the fraud, engaging in large-scale non-remittance of tax arrears. There were unresolved issues of N4.16 billion from state governments, N2.3 billion from local governments, N14 billion from federal agencies, as well as $851 million and N1.2 billion petroleum profits tax that was owed to the agency. She went after the cheats.

For the rest of the good corporate citizens, she provided convenience, making it easy for them to pay. First, she abolished offices that were set up to service the different tax types, and in its place, installed integrated, one-stop offices from where a taxpayer would initiate and conclude all tax transactions. She opened the organization to the public, creating conducive tax environments, and inviting the public to forward feedback on how they were treated in tax offices. She also signed on to a nationwide enlightenment campaign that highlighted the virtues of paying taxes. She then isolated big corporate taxpayers to be serviced by a core group of officers while another department oversees the collection of small taxes.

Her final strategy to check leakages was to automate tax collection. The system, which took off in 2006, enabled taxpayers to walk into a bank and obtain instant electronic tickets for tax payments, while the FIRS desk and operation officers would have a single view of all taxpayers and all tax payments across the country from their desktop computers. Taxes paid in the banks are electronically captured and immediately swept into FIRS accounts at four pre-selected lead banks, and then to the Central Bank. This provides security for tax monies generated.

Her major task was to significantly improve tax contribution to total revenue while, at the same time, ensuring that she takes FIRS to the point where Nigeria can significantly count on annual harvests from non-oil taxes in the equation. She succeeded to a greater degree. By 2007, tax contributed 45 per cent of federal revenue, a record harvest. She started the trend by ensuring that at the end of 2004, the year that she succeeded Mr. Manu, the target had shot up to meet and surpass the N1 trillion mark.

FIRS collection under her leadership grew astronomically from slightly below N1.2 trillion (about $7.9bn) when she came to office to over N4.2 trillion (over $28bn) in 2011 (almost four times the collection figure of 2004).
This excellent and record performance in addition to the reforms introduced have placed FIRS in an enviable position and earned the Service excellent recognition by way of several corporate awards.
In her personal capacity, she has received numerous awards amongst which are, Member Of the Order of Niger (MON), Member of the Federal Republic (MFR), the Zik Prize Award in Leadership and an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree. She is enlisted as a member of the Women Hall of Fame, National Women Development Centre, Abuja. She also is an active member of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group and the National Economic Management Team (NEMT). She is also a member of the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation on Tax Matters amongst other international bodies.

Source: http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/blog/?p=108342

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Editor's Selections: Roman health, Anatomical offerings, and Mental illness


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Part of my online life includes editorial duties at ResearchBlogging.org, where I serve as the Social Sciences Editor. Each Thursday, I pick notable posts on research in anthropology, philosophy, social science, and research to share on the ResearchBlogging.org News site. To help highlight this writing, I also share my selections here on AiP.

This week:

  • First, medical conditions are often influenced by social context. At Bones Don?t Lie, Katy Meyers compares osteoporosis in Ancient Rome to modern times highlighting the effect of lifestyle on this condition.
  • Kristina Killgrove has a fascinating posting at Powered By Osteons on the use of anatomical votives in the Ancient World?that is, small offerings shaped like body parts used in prayers. The question at hand is whether a recently uncovered votive represents a uterus.
  • And finally, the Neuroskeptic asks whether the stigma associated with mental illness really exists. A study investigated the perception of friendliness and competence associated with certain mental illnesses producing some interesting results.

I?ll be back next week with more from anthropology, philosophy, and research.

Krystal D'CostaAbout the Author: Krystal D'Costa is an anthropologist working in digital media in New York City. You can follow AiP on Facebook. Follow on Twitter @krystaldcosta.

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=8997d847d1c08d5ad6d8edc026a8af2f

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Friday, February 24, 2012

Skyrocketing tuition: Is punishing expensive colleges the answer? (The Week)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The Week - Obama's plan won't work: "'Punishing' schools that don't control costs" is futile, because most rising costs have nothing to do with the colleges themselves, say Michael McPherson and Sandy Baum in the Chicago Tribune. The main cause is the decision by cash-strapped states to slash higher-ed funding. "Everyone would like a magic bullet that would dramatically reduce the cost of educating students." But the truth is, high-quality education costs money, and nobody wants to pay for it. Obama can't punish schools into changing that reality."Can we keep colleges affordable?"

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120223/cm_theweek/224762

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Pursonality Plus ? Blog Archive ? The Cost Of Health Insurance For ...

23
Feb

It is no secret that the American society is advanced in many ways. As a whole, we are a wealthy country. We are a democratic country. We are a free country. The citizens of American society have rights that citizens of many other countries have never known. Yet, despite all our wealth and all our rights, many Americans are without proper health care coverage.

The people of American society have various reasons for not having health insurance, but the main reason from which all other reasons stem is money. Many people just do not have the money it takes to pay for a health insurance policy. People can generally get a good deal on health insurance if they purchase it through their employers, but not everyone is employed or works for a company that offers health benefits, and individual health insurance policies are much more expensive than the group insurance policy rates employers offer.

Health care is expensive, and health insurance is supposed to help cut the cost of health care; however, while health insurance does help us pay for health care, is heath insurance itself too expensive? For many, the answer is yes.

Regardless of how wealthy American society is as a whole, there are millions of Americans who can?t afford health insurance. Maybe they work for an employer who doesn?t offer a health insurance package. Maybe they just have too many other bills and can?t afford the additional health insurance bill. Maybe they?re self-employed and just don?t bring in enough income to pay for individual health insurance.

If you work for an employer who doesn?t offer health insurance, are self-employed, or just otherwise can?t afford health insurance, don?t give up. Contact your state?s insurance bureau and seek advice. They may be able to point you in the direction of a health insurance company or program that specifically caters to people who can?t afford health insurance for whatever reason.

If for any reason you would like more points on certified medical assistant salary there?s plenty of information not detailed in this post, take a look at Author?s blog to discover more.

Tags: health insurance

Source: http://www.pursonalityplus.com/2012/02/23/the-cost-of-health-insurance-for-americas-society-5/

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Self Improvement Is Without A Doubt Simple And Easy | The Secret ...

Owing to unemployment, competition for jobs has risen. Furthermore, monetary success is also becoming rarer by the day because such chances are decreasing. This condition of the world explains why a lot of individuals are looking to improve themselves.

If you are also looking for methods to improve yourself, then these are quite easy to find and you will achieve self improvement. The following are some ideas that could assist you.

Being Responsible Is Your Foundation Stone

Unfortunately, the media and celebrities sometimes promote a careless outlook. Even so, you should know that being responsible is the only thing that will ever get you somewhere in life. Being responsible only implies that you are an individual who cares about his ambitions.

For instance, if you are responsible about your family then you will do everything in your power to take care of them. Monetary and psychological support are both included in this. On the other hand, if you were a generally irresponsible individual then you would never consider the consequences of you leaving a job or taking off with your friends in the middle of the day for a drink.

Question Everything You Do, Just Because You Can

Most individuals go through their life not even knowing why they do certain things. For instance, an individual driving fast when questioned would almost always say he drives fast because he can. This is an individual who is not aware of himself. The reason for driving fast here is vague. As described above, the majority of individuals live like this.

If the individual was to question why he drives fast then his answer would either result in him wanting to become an expert racer or just plain giving it up. Looking for motives behind every action will allow you to know what is significant.

Figuring Out Your Purpose Of Existence Is Important

After you start questioning your own motivation, you would soon start thinking about the direction of your life. This is how you would think about your purpose of existence. Every person has his own reason to live. Some individuals want to become very powerful while others want to make their families happy.

You need to figure out what your purpose of existence is. Are you looking for power or peace? Your answer will guide you in your life. Furthermore, your purpose of existence would also drive you further towards your goals.

Know Your Limits

Most individuals who reach their pinnacle state that they accepted their limits early on and positively went about dealing with them. Knowing your own limits would allow you to predict where you may falter in the future. As a result of this knowledge, you would prevent yourself from making mistakes.

As a matter of fact, if you know your own limits, you can start working towards resolving them from this point on. For instance, you may be quick feel depressed. This issue can ruin your personal and professional life. Simple meditation or a conscious decision how to overcome depression can help you counter this limit. Waking up late can be seen as another limit. This issue can be dealt with lots of alarm clocks for a few mornings. Waking up early would become easier for you quickly.

Source: http://www.secret-of-lawofattraction.com/self-improvement-is-without-a-doubt-simple-and-easy/

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

America?s Best Weather Forecast

If you start at the Bay Bridge and head west along most major streets in San Francisco, you?ll eventually get to a magical land of misery known as the Sunset. The name is a joke, and perhaps even a way to trick tourists: The sun rarely visits the Sunset, not even when it sets. The primary weather element in the Sunset is fog?thick, endless, depressive clouds of it that wash up from the ocean to completely saturate the land. I lived in the Sunset for a single, terrible year. Before I moved there, I used to be one of those snobby city-dwellers who?d look down on suburbanites who couldn?t handle San Francisco?s famously capricious climate. I?d heard the Sunset?s weather wasn?t great, but hey, how bad could it be?

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=a58a8217560a21aad9703a4ad0595728

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How Small Businesses Are Using Mobile Marketing To Grow Their ...

Having real-time stats for an event can be very useful, as well as eye opening. I recently presented a webinar for Deluxe on their small business marketing channel at bizlaunch.com on the subject of ?using mobile marketing to grow your business.? It was a lot of fun and I spent an hour sharing a high level overview of mobile marketing to small business owners around the country.

At the beginning I told the audience there was going to be an interactive portion to the webinar and I asked that they have their cell phones close by. We were going to have a text message marketing demo during the text marketing portion. The idea being that whomever was interested in taking part in a three question survey on mobile marketing could give it a go by texting ?mobisurvey? to 72727.

About twenty minutes after the brief texting call to action, I let everybody know the results of the survey. It was so easy ? all I had to do was login to a web-based interface and look quickly at some graphics. Three pie charts showed me the breakdown with totals and percentages of the questions answered.

Of those that took part in the text messaging survey 25% said yes, they have a mobile website. Just over 16% said yes, they had used commercial text messaging. And just over 33% said they are currently using QR codes on their marketing collateral.

Commercial texting doesn?t use your personal phone to send messages out to your subscribers? phones. By having a web-based system that is very similar to how an email marketing system works, access to it is available 24/7. In this instance the results were from a survey, but they could just have easily been from a single text ?blast? for a mobile coupon, or a quiz, as part of a competition.

The results from my quick survey mirror the results from market research companies: Most small businesses are not using mobile marketing right now. It?s only recently that big box retailers have gone mobile crazy trying to keep Amazon from encroaching on their mobile business. Wal-Mart just recently announced it will acquire a mobile and social commerce company. Major retailers are currently involved in a mobile land-grab but small businesses must not erroneously think mobile is a channel for retail Goliaths.

As a small business, if you leap on the mobile bandwagon now, you will be way off down the road and barely visible on the technology?s horizon when most of your competition wakes up and starts looking into what it means to go mobile! You have an open advantage in your marketplace if you go mobile now. Tapping into this really untapped market can have you pushing way ahead of your competitors.

You don?t need to do texting to go mobile. A mobile website is a great first step. Are you like the minority of small business owners ? are you mobile and ahead of your competition? I?d love to hear how you are using mobile and any results you would like to share.

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Fran?oise Rose Jeanes is founder of Mobile Marketing Max, a Charlotte, NC based?mobile marketing company, specializing in mobile campaigns for small businesses and Non-Profits.?With over fourteen years experience in Internet marketing,?Fran now concentrates on implementing, educating and consulting on mobile apps, mobile web development, proximity advertising and text message marketing.? ??

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This entry was posted in Mobile Marketing. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://deluxesmallbizblog.com/mobile-marketing-2/how-small-businesses-are-using-mobile-marketing-to-grow-their-business/

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Billy Bush Retro Bathing Suit: Love It or Really, Really Hate It?


Let's give Billy Bush some credit in the following photo: at least he's really owning his ridiculous look.

The Extra host was spotted at the Hotel Fontainebleau pool in Miami last month, donning a bathing suit we'll generously refer to here simply as... retro. Take a look at it now and then cleanse your eyes by visiting our section full of more modern bikini photos:

Billy Bush Bathing Suit

If you can handle a longer look, study the fashion choice made by Bush and then respond: What do you think?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/02/billy-bush-retro-bathing-suit-love-it-or-really-really-hate-it/

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Fairy Dog Parents Help Find Pets A Good Home ? CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) ? Sometimes dog owners have to turn their pets in to shelters.

In some cases, the owner may be losing their home, or they just can?t afford to care for the dog anymore.

Fairy Dog Parents started three years ago and in that time they?ve rescued 234 dogs across Massachusetts.

WBZ-TV?s Jonathan Elias reports

The group pairs pets with families that can care for them.

For example, they took in a therapy dog named Skywalker who needed surgery to repair a hole in his heart.

If not for FDP, he would have been put down.

The Duxbury group took him in and now he?s slated to be a therapy dog for an autistic boy.

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Source: http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/02/20/fairy-dog-parents-help-find-pets-a-good-home/

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Latvia rejects proposal to name Russian an official language

Latvia's rejection of the proposal ? and its strong support in one section of the country ? highlights the deep divide between ethnic Latvians and Russians who have made a home there.

Latvian voters resoundingly rejected a proposal to give official status to Russian, the mother tongue of their former Soviet occupiers, though the referendum defeated Saturday is expected to leave scars on an already divided society.

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Russian is the first language for about one-third of the Baltic country's 2.1 million people, and many of them would like to accord official status to the language to reverse what they claim has been 20 years of discrimination.

But for ethnic Latvians, the referendum was a brazen attempt to encroach on Latvia's independence, which was restored two decades ago after a half-century of occupation by the Soviet Union following World War II.

Many Latvians still consider Russian ? the lingua franca of the Soviet Union ? as the language of the former occupiers. They also harbor deep mistrust toward Russia and worry that Moscow attempts to wield influence in Latvia through the ethnic Russian minority.

"Latvia is the only place throughout the world where Latvian is spoken, so we have to protect it," said Martins Dzerve, 37, in Riga, Latvia's capital. "But Russian is everywhere."

With over 93 percent of ballots counted, 75 percent of voters said they were against Russian as a national language, according to the Central Election Commission results.

However, in the eastern region of Latgale, which straddles the border with Russia, a majority of voters approved changing the constitution to make Russian a national language. The region is Latvia's poorest and has a high percentage of ethnic Russians and other minorities.

"Society is divided into two classes ? one half has full rights, and the other half's rights are violated," said Aleksejs Yevdokimovs, 36. "The Latvian half always employs a presumption of guilt toward the Russian half, so that we have to prove things that shouldn't need to be proven," he said.

The referendum sparked high voter participation, with more than 70 percent of registered voters casting ballots ? considerably higher more than in previous elections and referendums. Long lines were seen at many precincts both in Latvia and abroad, with voters in London reportedly braving a three-hour wait.

In Chicago, Mara Varpa, 57, said she voted against the proposal since Latvian is an integral part of the national identity and should therefore remain the sole official language.

"I don't think there should have been a referendum to begin with because it's already in the constitution, but since there was I had to vote," Varpa said.

Though the Russians who spearheaded the referendum admitted they had no chance at winning the plebiscite, they at least hope the approximate 25 percent of support will force Latvia's center-right government to begin a dialogue with national minorities.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians, Belarussians and Ukrainians moved to Latvia and the neighboring Baltic republics during the population transfers of the Soviet regime. Many of them never learned Latvian and were denied citizenship when Latvia regained independence, meaning they don't have the right to vote or work in government.

According to the current law, anyone who moved to Latvia during the Soviet occupation, or was born to parents who moved there, is considered a noncitizen and must pass the Latvian language exam in order to become a citizen.

There are approximately 300,000 noncitizens in Latvia.

Politicians and analysts said the plebiscite will widen the schism in society and that the government will have to undertake serious efforts to consolidate the country's two groups.

Many fear the disgruntled minority will keep up the pressure by calling for more referendums to change Latvia's constitution for minorities' benefit.

Associated Press writer Tim Jacobs in Chicago contributed to this report.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/toy41unFrZ0/Latvia-rejects-proposal-to-name-Russian-an-official-language

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Monday, February 20, 2012

New Green Business Model for Sustainable Finance

By Peter C. Fusaro

Emerging markets for environmental financial investment and trading continue to attract significant global investment interest from untraditional investment sources. ?$8.99 billion was deployed for cleantech investment in global markets up 13?percent for 2011 according to the Cleantech Venture Network (www.cleantech.com). This sector?s underinvestment has been held up by regulatory uncertainty on the continuation of subsidies for renewable energy under the Production Tax Credit which expires at the end of this year.

With all the focus on Washington D.C. programs on the end of the federal loan guarantee program (over $38 billion) and the end of federal grants at the end of 2011, the gloom and doomers don?t see the renaissance in renewable energy. Due to state level incentives, particularly the Renewable Portfolio Standards in 29 states, and a new push for solar thermal in California, financial capital is flowing in this sector from untraditional sources.

Typically, large scale energy projects are financed by large investment banks and large utilities that won?t even touch deals?worth less than $100 million. They would?rather make big bonus-driven deals, but what is actually occurring is a new generation of small scale projects throughout the U.S. These projects have scaled due to the reduction in the cost curve in PV solar projects and the returns of 14 to 16?percent unlevered for 20 years. This is starting to move into solar thermal, small scale wind and biomass projects throughout the country depending the resource base. The funding is coming from pension funds, insurance funds and the no name private equity funds that don?t make financial headlines. But by banging away at multiple projects, a portfolio is born, and it has traction despite all the negative recent headlines on renewables from media such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Fox News.

Green investing is not dead, but rather is gaining traction. Last year more money was deployed in clean energy than conventional energy (oil, gas and coal) for electric power generation, and this has not been lost on foreign countries such as Germany and China that see a new market emerging in the U.S. The U.S. is a huge market that dwarfs the rest of the world when it comes to using electricity.

The new funders see what I call ?environmental alpha.? That is consistent sustainable returns for many years. The rub is that the sector is not followed by most analysts and certainly not by big investment houses who want multiple billion dollar?deal flows to fill their coffers.

As markets change, so do investment models. The new business model that has emerged for investment in alternative energy and clean technology is a hybrid business model of venture capital, hedge funds and private equity. Coupled with the project orientation of the investment, there is also a dimension of environmental credit trading for emissions, carbon and renewable energy included in this investment strategy. The blurring of the lines between hedge funds and venture capital is also being exacerbated by significant private equity participation in environmental finance.

The New Market Drivers

The three global market drivers ? sustained higher energy prices, accelerated technology shift and increased environmental concerns ? form the perfect storm for clean energy investment. Falling renewable energy costs are also increasing investment opportunities in this sector as are government mandates for renewable energy deployment in 29 states. To put this clean energy market in some perspective, we must look at its origin, what is driving it and where it is headed in the foreseeable future.

2010?????????????????? ??

Biofuels??????????????????????????? US$56.4 billion

Wind???????????????????????????????? US$60.5 billion

Solar PV?????????????????????????? US$71.2 billion

Source: Clean Edge Trends 2011

The New Green Revenue Stream

The ability to trade both emissions and renewable energy credits creates another revenue stream. We define the triple convergence of emissions reductions, renewable energy deployment and more energy efficient technology with this graphic. This triple convergence offers multiple risk arbitrage opportunities as well as many revenue streams. They are obviously interrelated as in using more efficient technology reduces the emissions footprint. Similarly using renewable energy can reduce the carbon footprint of power stations, for example. The low hanging fruit of climate change carbon reductions may be energy efficiency but there are many opportunities to invest across a wide spectrum of technologies.

The energy value chain is now overlaid with an environmental value chain which is sustained by finance. The clean energy market is large, growing and global with higher rates of market acceptance than anyone anticipated. This trend is growing. Green continues to be the new gold and watch as it accelerates as an investment story!

??????????-

Peter C. Fusaro is a recognized thought leader in clean energy, a New York Times best selling author of ?What Went Wrong at Enron? and runs the 11th annual Wall Street Green Summit in New York on March 19 and 20, 2012 (www.wsgts.com).

image: Ole Houen via Flickr cc (some rights reserved)

Source: http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/02/new-green-business-model-sustainable-finance-2/

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Revocable Living Trust Planning: How is my ... - MS Estate Planning

Personal property such as jewelry, antiques, artwork, family heirlooms, and household effects can be passed on to your beneficiaries through a specific bequest: "I leave my Ming Vase to my sister Betty." ?But for most people, it would be overwhelming to try to inventory and choose a beneficiary for every last item you own. ?Instead, it is common to use a separate "Personal Property Memorandum" that is attached to, and incorporated by reference into the trust.

The memo is generally a handwritten or typed list of your wishes of bequests to family or charities, which is signed and dated by you. ?They can cover each personal item that you own, but typically include only those items of financial value or of strong sentimental value -- the types of things that lead to disagreements among the heirs.

The benefit of a memo is that it can be easily changed if you sell something, give it away during life, or change your mind about who should receive it after you're gone. ?You simply throw it away and replace it with a new memo. ?Each personal property memorandum should be dated, and the trust should contain instructions that if more than one memo is discovered after your death, the one with the most recent date is binding.

Of course, you should also provide for personal property that is not specifically listed on the personal property memorandum. ?Most trusts will state that the trustee can dispose of it equitably to the beneficiaries, and if they can't agree on the disposition, the trustee can sell the items and split the proceeds of the sale according to the trust distribution plan.

Click here to register for our?eNewsletter.

For more information on?Madison and Jackson MS Wills Trusts and other Estate Planning?please visit our website.

For a Video on Health Care Directive please visit our website.

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Source: http://blog.estateplanning123.com/2012/02/revocable-living-trust-planning-how-is-my-personal-property-handled-in-a-trust.html

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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Keeping Your Business Relevant With Store Renovation ...

To continue being pertinent to their market, every business constantly needs to keep up with the changing times, even if we are experiencing global economic crunch or not. There are several ways to keep up, some add fresh items to sell or improve the services they provide. However, for others, store renovation is plainly the solution.

Renovation gives properties a better appearance. It often boosts the commercial rate of a property as well, giving it a strong fighting chance when the owner decides to put it back to the market. A lot of people remodel homes not only to modernize its looks, but to restore parts that require repair as well.

It?s also the same for commercial space owners, but they also remodel to keep up with the market?s switching preference. Businesses, especially those in the retail, hotel, and food and restaurant industry, need to be in conjunction with what their market desires, however demanding it is, because they belong to a very consumer-based industry.

There are those who think that the answer lies in updating their products and services, while some think that store renovation is a more convenient choice. A store has to give clients impressions that either they have something new to offer that is worth trying or that their old items and services are still pertinent and necessary now. A newer and fresher physical appearance can do both of those.

Aesthetics isn?t the only reason for renovation. There are instances when property owners renovate because they need to get more from their place. Maybe they need a new function room to be added for their restaurant or maybe they want to add a garden and a gazebo to attract more patrons.

Even those shops that don?t require to install anything different or choose to change their appearance still find it essential to renovate after some time. Because after years of use, a property, particularly a shop that is visited by customers daily, is bound to obtain some wear and tear. That is why renovation is essential after some time.

All businesses must practice keeping up with the times to remain relevant. And sometimes, that means changing how your shop or restaurant looks.

Click for further information on interior designer or office interior design.. Free reprint available from: Keeping Your Business Relevant With Store Renovation.

Source: http://brucewood.net/homebusiness/2012/02/19/keeping-your-business-relevant-with-store-renovation/

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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Pre-Tax vs After Tax Retirement Investments: 401K vs Roth IRA ...

In recent years, Roth IRAs have become very popular with investors. The Roth IRA is named after Senator William Roth of Delaware, who sponsored the 1997 legislation that created them. The basic idea behind the Roth IRA is pretty simple ? you invest after-tax money into your Roth IRA, and are not taxed on the money when you withdraw it. Conversely, with a 401(k) (or a traditional IRA), you invest pre-tax money, but pay taxes on everything when you withdraw. I?ll compare and contrast the Roth with a 401(k), since that?s what I?m most familiar with.

Investing in a Roth IRA means you will pay less in taxes.


As long as your investments yield a positive return, this will always be true because you?re only taxed on the principal with a Roth (since it?s after-tax money, you?ve already paid the tax before investing it) whereas you?re taxed on withdrawals of principal and earnings when you withdraw from a 401(k). Thus, many financial advisors tout this as a reason for the Roth account being superior to the 401(k).

However, I think that this is an example of asking the wrong question. What?s most important is not to minimize taxes, but rather, it?s to maximize the amount of money you keep.

Deciding Between Pre-Tax or After Tax Money For Your Retirement Accounts

How do we make a decision between these two funding options for your retirement needs IF you?re financially limited to one option? Let?s analyze a basic scenario to see what considerations to take when deciding how to invest for retirement. Let?s start with these assumptions:

  • One has $5,000 of pre-tax money to invest.
  • Investments will double between now and retirement.
  • The current tax rate and post-retirement tax rate are both 28%.

Given these assumptions, let?s work with some examples.

Amy decides to invest in a Roth IRA. The pre-tax amount of $5,000 is taxed during the normal course of events. She pays $1,400 in taxes (28% of $5,000), leaving her with $3,600 to invest. Her investment doubles by the time of retirement, leaving her with $7,200.

Beth opts for a 401(k) account. The entire $5,000 is invested into her account ? she does not pay any taxes at the current time. Her $5,000 also doubles, leaving her with an account balance of $10,000. When she makes withdrawals, they are taxed at 28%. She pays $2,800 in taxes, leaving her with $7,200 in her pocket.

While Amy pays only $1,400 in taxes and Beth pays $2,800, it?s important to note that Amy is paying in current dollars and Beth is paying in future dollars (which are almost certain to be worth less than current dollars).

There?s no accounting trick needed to make the numbers come out this way. By taking the tax hit up front, you start with less money in the balance of your Roth than in an equivalent 401(k). As an aside, note that if you decide on a starting investment of $5,000 in a Roth IRA, then you?ll need a pre-tax income of $6,944.45.

Is there nothing certain but taxes? The key variable is the tax rate. If you pay a lower tax rate today than you will at retirement, then a Roth makes sense. If you expect to pay a lower rate after retirement, then a 401(k) is the right choice. Sounds very easy ? but there?s no way to guarantee future tax rates.

The Vote For A Roth IRA

When you?re currently in a lower tax rate than you expect in the future, then your best choice is a Roth IRA. Here are some scenarios where a Roth makes sense.

  • Crystal just graduated college and landed her first real job. She?s on the lowest rung of the corporate ladder, and her income will be in the 10% bracket. Barring some unforeseen changes in the tax law, Crystal will never again pay such a low tax rate. It makes sense to invest in a Roth, as it means paying taxes at the 10% rate instead of a higher future rate.
  • Susan lost her job in March and has been on unemployment all year, dropping her income lower than it has been in decades. The silver lining is that she can invest in a Roth IRA and pay a low tax rate on those contributions.
  • Emily expects to have substantial post-retirement income. She split her career between two companies and will receive a generous pension from both. She also has 401(k) accounts through each of the employers, and the investments have performed very well. The net effect is that Emily?s post-retirement income will be substantially higher than her current income ? putting her in a higher tax bracket. It makes sense to take advantage of her lower current rate and invest in a Roth IRA.

What are some issues that can impact your decision to go with a Roth? What about this question: will a balanced budget amendment affect tax rates?

Let?s consider the larger picture here as well, and bring up some potential events down the road. You may have heard that some politicians have been pushing a balanced budget amendment which would force congress to match spending to revenue. The two basic ways to balance the budget would be to cut spending and raise taxes. However, the proponents of the balanced budget amendment seem to be glossing over the difficulties in passing such an amendment. One of the requirements for this is ratification by the state legislatures of ? (three quarters) of the states. When you consider that one of the easiest ways to cut spending would be to push the cost of certain programs down to the states, then it seems likely that at least 13 states would opt to block ratification.

When Does A 401(k) Make Sense?

When you expect your current tax rate to exceed your post-retirement tax rate, then a 401(k) is a better option. Here are some scenarios that support the choice for a 401(k) account.

  • As a result of winning $100,000 in the lottery this year, Jane has a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $175,000. Since Roth IRA contributions are not allowed for individuals with an MAGI over $110,000 or married couples with an MAGI over $160,000, Jane is not allowed to contribute to a Roth IRA, but is allowed to contribute to a 401(k).
  • Gina is in the last year of an exemplary career and she?s in line to make a lot of money this year. A promotion five years ago resulted in a big raise. She?s also receiving a substantial performance bonus for landing several key customers during the year. While her income is still below the limits for a Roth IRA contribution, it will still be twice what her projected post-retirement income will be. This means that Gina should opt to contribute to a 401(k), since a Roth IRA contribution would be taxed at a higher rate.
  • Heidi has been investing in a Roth IRA since her first job. She doesn?t have substantial assets outside of her account. Since withdrawals from her Roth IRA won?t count as income, her post-retirement income is projected to be just a few thousand dollars. It makes sense for her to reduce her current income and push more income into her post-retirement years so that it is taxed at the lowest rate. Thus, she decides to fund a 401(k) in lieu of investing in her existing Roth. Note though, that she shouldn?t completely minimize her post-retirement income; she may want to earn enough income to reach the top of at least the second tax bracket (possibly higher, depending on what her current bracket is).

General Thoughts & Basic Assumptions

Here are additional tips to support your retirement investing decisions.

  • The above scenarios all assume that the investor only has enough money to contribute to either a 401(k) or Roth IRA, but not both. If you?re able to do it, it may make sense to max out both. As of the year 2012, you are limited to contributing $5,000 to a Roth, with a $1,000 ?catch-up? provision that allows people 50 or older to contribute a total of $6,000. You are limited to contributing $17,000 to a 401(k), with a catch-up provision of $5,500 that allows people 50 or older to contribute a total of $22,500 per year. Thus, even if a Roth is the best option for you, it may make sense to contribute to a 401(k) after you?ve maxed out your Roth IRA. Some employers offer a Roth 401(k), which, at a high level, is a Roth IRA with the higher limits of a 401(k).
  • In general, a Roth makes the most sense early in your career, since your income in these early years will likely be less than your post-retirement income. With every raise or increase in your income, the scale will tip a bit more in favor of the 401(k), until the point where your current tax rate exceeds your projected post-retirement rate. Don?t feel that you must pick one plan and stick to it. It might make sense to invest in a Roth at age 25 but a 401(k) at age 50. This doesn?t mean that your original decision was wrong ? it was actually the best investment choice for that particular time period or circumstance.
  • Don?t ignore the yield of the actual investment when making your choice. If a 401(k) is your optimal strategy, but your specific 401(k) plan offers weak investments compared to your choices in a Roth IRA, then a Roth might be the preferred option. Earning 10% and paying slightly higher taxes is still better than earning 1% and paying lower taxes.
  • While it?s impossible to predict future tax rates, it?s important to realize that the brackets are periodically adjusted for inflation. For example, while the lowest tax bracket currently cuts off at $8,500 for single people, thirty years from now, the bracket might cut off at $20,000. So if you?re earning $100,000 now and expect to earn $100,000 when you retire, don?t assume that you?ll always be in the same bracket.
  • Take advantage of employer matching. My employer matches 401(k) contributions dollar for dollar up to a certain amount. This means that I double my money right away. Even if a Roth account is generally a better option for me, it makes sense to take advantage of the matched funds.
  • While the focus of this article has been on maximizing your nest egg, there are other reasons why you may opt for either a Roth IRA or a 401(k) plan. For example, you can withdraw the principal from a Roth account at any time without penalty (remember, you?ve already paid taxes on this money). These factors may play a part in your decision.
  • Everyone?s situation is unique. If you have post-retirement income from other sources (such as a pension or non-retirement investment accounts), then this will affect your post-retirement tax rate. As with any financial decision, the more information you use, the better the decision will be.

Copyright ? 2012 The Digerati Life. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/invest-pre-tax-or-after-tax-dollars-retirement-401k-vs-roth-ira/

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