Monthly Archives: March 2015

Free Money! Which, sadly, only 25% of those eligible are taking…

Now that I have your attention, let’s try that again. Free Money! What we’re talking about here is the “Retirement Savings Contributions Credit”.  It was first created as part of the 2001 tax cut package called the “Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001” and was made permanent as part of the 2006 […]

How are Social Security benefits computed, and what are WEP and GPO?

Social Security. Perhaps the most successful government program ever, Social Security was put in place as a form of “social insurance” in order to protect against people who’d worked their entire lives ending up in poverty in their old age. Before diving into various details about benefits, there are a few things to clear up […]

What You Need To Know About Property Taxes in California

What You Need To Know About Property Taxes in California   Property taxes in the US are generally proportional to the value of one’s property.  The more valuable the property, the higher the taxes…   Except in California.  This is because in 1978, California enacted Prop 13 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_13_(1978)&gt; which limited increases in the taxes on […]