This happens more than people want to think about – these recurring ‘stealth’ credit card charges appear on your statement and you ignore them and let them slide. But the issuers should maybe ask about this charges occasionally (just a ‘this recurring charge has been on your card for a year; do you still approve it?’ might be nice once in a while). When you have changed credit cards because of fraud items it should be standard practice, but it isn’t all the time. See this article in the Los Angeles Times by David Lazarus: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus-20140509-column.html This is something the credit card issuers should be doing on a regular basis as a service to their customers. I have to admit that Chase and Citi have been good about notifying me about odd little charges, so kudos to them. I also remember Chase questioning me on all recurring charges when we had to change a card because of fraudulent charges a year ago. Way to go! For financial, accounting and tax musings, You can count on us to count for you! Email: bstonercpa@sbcglobal.net Phone: 818-317-6035 Website: www.briantstonercpa.com Android and the IPhone: Has been Featured On https://twitter.com/bstonercpa
CPA Financial Musings: How to save $400,000 — for your adviser’s retirement
This is a common occurance – you don’t make any money on your portfolio for the year, but your financial adviser makes 1% (or more) of your portfolio’s value. See this article by Mitchell Tuchman in Marketwatch from The Wall Street Journal: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-to-save-400000-for-your-advisers-retirement-2014-05-08 This may be a simplification, as your adviser can make you a lot more money in (hopefully) most of the years you are using him/her. The point I am making is that you need to keep track of how well your adviser is managing your money, remembering you are paying him all the time and reducing your return by the fees. If the adviser is making more than you, perhaps you need a new adviser. For financial, accounting and tax musings, You can count on us to count for you! Email: bstonercpa@sbcglobal.net Phone: 818-317-6035 Website: www.briantstonercpa.com Android and the IPhone: Has been Featured On https://twitter.com/bstonercpa
Financial Musings of a Burbank CPA: 7 Tips to Make Retirement Savings Last
This article by Rodney Brooks in USAToday talks about ways to stretch your retirement savings. Click on this link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/brooks/2014/05/06/retirement-401k-pension-savings/8695897/ There are some good ideas here, especially the idea of thinking of tax consequences in everything you do. If you can turn taxable income into tax free, you can increase your retirement money 25 to 40%. A great way to extend your money. For financial, accounting and tax musings, You can count on us to count for you! Email: bstonercpa@sbcglobal.net Phone: 818-317-6035 Website: www.briantstonercpa.com Android and the IPhone: Has been Featured On https://twitter.com/bstonercpa