money really matters

Last month, it was bad one for my vehicles. I was involved in two accidents. Fortunately, I am ok but it is unfortunate to have accidents and none of 'em is my fault. Both times, I was actually rear ended and spared with minor damages. It is not fun to get involved in any type of accident. That's for sure. But what can we do, even if you drive safely and careful enough other drivers tends to just find us and hit.

First, it was my Ford Truck which is already 13 years old but runs quite well so I can't complain. It was a teanage driver who was trying to squeeze her Ford Tarus car on the left side to take left turn while I was waiting infront of the light. She hit me on corner and caused small dent with scratches on the bumper. We stopped and witnessed the damage. I decided to let her go because it wasn't that bad and truck was already old. I didn't bother to get it fixed. For the benefit of her, I let her go even without taking any insurance information.

Next my Honda Accord which is only 6 years old. It is in good shape and I like to keep that way because it is our family car. This time it was lady again who thought I started moving after lights change and read ended directly behind me. I felt little neck pain but not bad. We pulled out of traffic and stopped near by to assess the damages. It wasn't too bad outside but I was worried about internal cushion/absorber damage. So I took her license information anyways but didn't call any cop for the report and we left.  

Daunting Questions

In both the instances,  damage was minor and nobody was hurt. Like any accident, they came shocking and unexpected, bringing in some kinda of uncomfortable feeling. At that moment, one has to act fast and think what needs to be done next.  This only holds true when it's a small/minor accident and you are in stable and consicous condition. Questions I started thinking were,

1. Do I call the insurance company and report?
2. If I want to report, do I need to call Police to get report?
3. Am I ready go through the hazzle of getting this small problem fixed?

Answers to all the above question depend on analyzing various aspects like,

I. How old is your vehicle?
II. Do you own the vehicle or lease it?
III. Are you some one who care so much about your car, even small scratch bothers you?
IV. Are you willing to go thru the hazzle of insurance calls and fixing the vehicle?
V. Are you in hurry to go somewhere?

For example, if it's my own car, reasonably new and damage was physically visible, I would better call and report to insurance and also get  a police report if I and other party has more time.

Let me remind you one important thing. As per the insurance contract, we all are suppose to inform the insurance company of any accidents to our vehicles. But how many people do it for sake of avoiding the hazzle and insurance premium increase.There are surely Pros and Cons behind reporting.

Pros

1. Increased resale value because of dent/damage free vehicle
2. Peace of mind because your Vehicle is safe without any internal damages

Cons

1. Your future auto premium can go up according to your Insurance score were claims are part of calculation. If you make more claims whether it's your fault or not, insurer might have unfriendly logic to quote higher premiums as per my experience.

2. Hazzle and Time Consuming process - You either have to take your vehicle to body shop or make an appointment for an appraiser to come out and get estimate. Take to body shop to get it fixed. Meanwhile you need to get rental vehicle or alternative commute arrangement to work and list goes on.

3. Vehicle might not be safe to drive with damages unless they are cosmetic.

4. Carfax report gets updated with vehicle accidents and reselling might be hard. At the same time, if you didn't fix the damages you won't get price for the vehicle. It's a catch 22.

So I would like to conclude by saying, Use your own judgement. My situation and decisions might not fit everybody's. Try to use the lists of questions mentioned above which might help you to make a sound decision. Don't drive a unsafe vehicle just because you need to spend some time and money. That would be my personal caution.

In the last couple of posts, we been looking at how Tax planning can have an effect in your tax preparation. We saw the difference between Tax Planning and Tax preparation. We also started digging in deep on how the cost basis and stock selling strategy can save you some money. In the previous post, I started explaining about different types of determining cost basis and will complete in this post. At the end of this post, you will know which methods helps on different situations. So read on.

Check out the cost basis using FIFO method before moving on to read so you can better understand the difference.

Average cost is another method for determining cost basis and is only used with investment/mutual funds. To determine the average cost, the total cost of all shares purchased including any invested dividends is divided by the total number of shares held.

Once this method is used, it must be used each time the taxpayer sells shares in a mutual funds. This method is most effective if the shares purchased first have the lowest cost basis.

Average cost has 2 different ways of calculating according to the stock purchased periods. The single category method is when the investor takes all of the purchase amounts and divides by total number of shares owned. The double category method sorts the total shares owned into a short-term and a long-term holding period. Then, the average cost for each category is identified.

For example, Jan buys the Vanguard growth fund

• 200 shares on January 3, 2001 at $20/share
• 300 shares on September 5, 2002 at $25/share
• 200 shares on April 20, 2008 at $22/share

On Oct 15, 2009 she sold 500 shares at $20/share. What is her cost basis according to the average cost method?

According to the single category average cost method, she would take an average of the purchase prices and divide by the total number of shares owned:

• 200 shares at $20 = $4,000
• 300 shares at $25 = $7,500
• 200 shares at $22 = $4,400
• Total cost = $15,900
• Total shares = 700
• Average cost per share = $22.71

So the gain/loss for this sale was:

• 500 shares ($20 – $22.71) = -$1135.50

Therefore, Jan had a net loss of = -$1135.50

The specific share identification method implies that specific shares are used to apply against the shares sold.

Before selling shares, the shareholder must inform the broker or fund company regarding which shares are to be sold. These instructions must be given at the time of sale or transfer, not later. The broker or agent must confirm this request within a reasonable time after the sale.

This method can be used effectively only if the shareholder has kept accurate records and has followed through on the receipt of confirmations from the broker. It allows the shareholder to control the capital gains taxes that he or she has to pay because this can be determined by selecting the shares to sell. You can tell your broker to sell your highest-cost shares when unloading part of your holdings in a stock. Using this "specific ID method" requires you to identify the shares to be sold by specifying their cost and purchase dates. You must also receive a written confirmation of your instructions from the broker or keep a record of your oral instructions. Put this in your tax file for safekeeping.

Which method is suitable and when?

Specific ID method is the best method for tax purposes because the investor has absolute control over how much the gain from a sale would be. Long term or short term gains can also be controlled. This is the preferred tax basis method for investors who actively manage their portfolio for tax efficiency. It is also not the most cost effective because of all of the effort that is required for proper record-keeping.

If you don't follow th procedure, you must use the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method, meaning the shares you bought first are considered sold first. Those were likely the cheapest — giving you the biggest possible tax hit. The point to remember is that you must take action at the time of sale to use the specific ID method.


Short term Vs Long Term

If you have both unrealized gains and losses in your portfolio, but want to make some sales in a certain way matching them property to get the best effect.  First, the general rule is try to sell long-term holdings (held over 12 months) first to benefit from the 15% maximum long-term capital gains rate. Then, unload your short-term holdings.

Then in order to offer offset those gains, you can sell the loser stocks for loss to balance it out. You will generally get the most tax-saving for the buck by selling short-term holdings for a short- term loss by taking advantage of short-term losses offsetting short-term gains which would otherwise be taxed at the regular income tax rate and any leftovers then offset long-term (15%) gains.

By following the above strategies matching your situation, you can either save some money by not paying to uncle sam way beyond the tax season. That concludes the tax planning - Stock investment strategy by doing cost basis analysis.

I was contacted by ING DIRECT Corporate relation office and requested to share this informative public survey results. It is an eye opener bringing facts about Home ownership from real people.

Americans blamed low, no money down mortgages for economic downfall.

Wilmington, DE – Despite the mortgage crisis, two-thirds (67 percent) of Americans agree that homeownership is still an “aspirational” symbol of the American Dream, according to a recent ING DIRECT survey. But as lower housing prices are prompting Americans to revisit the housing market, the new survey also shows a lesson learned from the mortgage meltdown: save for a down payment.

More than four in 10 (42 percent) Americans think homes purchased with a bigger down payment in recent years could have reduced the number of foreclosures and prevented some of the current economic downturn, according to the survey.  With a larger down payment, Americans can move into their new homes with a lower interest rate, reduced debt and owe less interest over time.  In recent years, too many no-money-down mortgages were offered to homebuyers who could not afford to keep paying their mortgages after their homes lost significant value and the economy slowed.

“Owning a home is an opportunity, not an entitlement,” said Arkadi Kuhlmann, President of ING DIRECT USA.  “Sadly, that message has been lost in translation over the past several years.  Don’t trade your future for the instant gratification of owning a home you can’t afford in the long run.  It you want to own a home, save for it, and our survey shows that Americans agree. ” 

With low mortgage rates, more than 40 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage may refinance this year, according to the survey. Homeowners surveyed also indicated that they are seeking new options from the 30-year mortgage product.  Nearly four in 10 (37 percent) Americans said they are likely to consider a mortgage that allows borrowers to make bi-weekly mortgage payments at no charge.  Making payments every two weeks instead of once a month allows homeowners to pay off their mortgage faster.  

“For a saver, there is nothing more rewarding than finally becoming mortgage-free,” said Kuhlmann.  “Americans want home loans that eliminate years of payments and give them the freedom to own their homes sooner.”  
 
The national online survey was conducted within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of ING DIRECT between May 20-22, 2009 among 2,122 adults age 18+, 1,514 of whom were homeowners. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.

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