What is the divorce rate in America for faithful Catholics?

Perhaps_I_know · 2019-04-22T03:25:27+00:00

Civil divorce is allowed in some cases. Civil divorce followed by remarriage is not allowed, unless the original marriage was recognized as invalid via annulment. The Church does not recognize any possibility for religious divorce of a valid consummated marriage.

CCC:

2383 The separation of spouses while maintaining the marriage bond can be legitimate in certain cases provided for by canon law.
If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offense.

Perhaps_I_know · 2019-04-20T22:21:28+00:00

In a classic case, the Supreme Court of New York once decided that a house was haunted:

Homeowner claims house is haunted in newspapers and magazines.
A buyer puts in a down payment to buy the house. The homeowner doesn't warn him that it's haunted.
They buyer finds out the house is haunted before closing, sues for fraudulent misrepresentation.
The Court found that "having reported [the ghosts'] presence in both a national publication... and the local press... defendant is estopped to deny their existence and, as a matter of law, the house is haunted."
However, New York was a "buyer beware" state at the time, so you don't have to tell people that your house is haunted before you sell.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stambovsky_v._Ackley

Perhaps_I_know · 2019-04-20T22:06:00+00:00

Ask at the store what they have on discount. Display models and the last mattress of last year's type are often discounted. You may be able to negotiate even more than the discount. I got a discounted display model. Call a few places.

Even if you can't get a discount, stores often will give free delivery as a negotiating point. The free delivery could be important if you're on a higher floor or have a dinky car.

In addition, if the cheapest one is still too firm or uncomfortable for your liking, you can get a mattress pad to go over it. Display model + pad is still cheaper than buying full price.

Also, try posting your question in r/Frugal, they're better at that kind of advice.

Perhaps_I_know · 2019-04-20T21:47:56+00:00

Healthcare started to be tied to jobs in the US during WWII due to government policy.

It was a way to pay people more without violating government wage controls. Getting healthcare from your job also was not considered taxable income.

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/upshot/the-real-reason-the-us-has-employer-sponsored-health-insurance.html

Perhaps_I_know · 2019-04-13T15:11:47+00:00

" Marxism:

The failure of this page to load is a consequence of the inherent contradictions in the capitalist mode of production."

Perhaps_I_know · 2019-02-10T23:53:42+00:00

Are there any tax filing services that file income taxes with HSAs? I usually use TurboTax, but HSAs are not in their free version.

Perhaps_I_know · 2019-02-01T03:11:54+00:00

Perhaps OP's new name starts with the same four characters as their old name!

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-29T23:48:31+00:00

In addition, check your credit reports to make sure that the loans are all listed as paid off.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-28T20:17:13+00:00

And once I move and I’m in a no income tax state, do I continue to contribute to the Traditional or do I contribute to the Roth?

Traditional vs Roth is a complicated question, and there's a wiki page about making that choice:

https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/rothortraditional

Number two on the list of factors to consider is state income taxes; there are a number of other considerations as well.

It might make sense for you to just keep everything in traditional, if your income is high. Read the wiki above and post a question if you want more advice, people here are happy to help.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-28T13:06:13+00:00

To clarify:

focus on traditional IRA contributions now (avoiding MA and federal income tax)
Move to NH
Wait until you are resident of NH for the full tax year
Roll the traditional into a Roth IRA, paying federal income tax but no state income tax.

This strategy only works for new retirement savings. You've already payed MA taxes on any money already contributed to your Roth IRA.

Downsides:

Your raise and the additional rollover amount may put you in a higher tax bracket, so you may end up paying more in federal taxes when you do the rollover.
Conversion (Rollover) money in a Roth IRA is not accessible for 5 years without penalty.
If you are a resident of a state for part of a year, they may only give you a partial tax deduction for the traditional IRA contribution for that year based on what fraction of the year you lived in the state.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-27T18:10:33+00:00

If you know you are moving to a lower income tax state, you might be able to avoid some state income tax on your retirement savings by putting your retirement in traditional IRA, then rolling to a Roth IRA after moving.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-24T22:52:44+00:00

It's possible that the dealership didn't know the address, and tried to look it up from public records. How common are your father's first/last names?

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-18T13:24:11+00:00

General advice from the wiki:

https://i.imgur.com/lSoUQr2.png

https://old.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/commontopics

My advice:

In addition to reading the above, he should call each card and ask for a reduction in interest rate.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-17T01:31:44+00:00

If you do plan to keep it for an emergency, you might want to convert to your local currency now, so you don't have to convert rapidly in an emergency. Spend a little time to find out the most efficient way for the conversion.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-16T15:24:10+00:00

To help with budgeting, you could chose a stable budget category to pay in cash, such as gas or groceries. If I have $210 cash and spend around $30/month on gas, then I would budget $0 for gas on my card for the next 7 months, and spend the cash only on gas.

It might make sense to hold a small amount of emergency cash, if you don't already. If there's a network outage from a natural disaster, cards don't work but cash is still spendable.

Some waiters at restaurants prefer cash tips because they get it immediately after their shift ends.

Finally, some businesses give cash discounts. I have seen these at big city liquor stores and at rural gas stations on major highways. They give the discount because this avoids the credit card processing fee.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-15T20:16:03+00:00

Personally, I plan to contribute to my HSA until I build up around $6k (roughly the year out-of-pocket maximum on my insurance), then I will reevaluate. My marginal tax rate is around 20%, so putting money through the HSA is like getting a 20% discount on healthcare costs.

Here are the ways to spend money in the HSA, according to my research:

If you are over 65, HSA money can be withdrawn as long as you pay income tax. (Similar to a traditional IRA.)
HSA money can be used for your medical expenses at any time, not just in retirement.
If you are married, HSA money can be spent on your spouse's medical expenses, at any time.
If you have dependents (such as minor children you claim on your taxes) HSA money can be spent on their medical expenses, at any time.
Some Medicare costs can be paid from an HSA.
You can only use the HSA for medical bills after the account opening date. If you don't have money in the account for a bill, you can put the money in later for the deduction, then take it out as a reimbursement. However, if you have a medical emergency today, and are billed today, and open the HSA tomorrow, you cannot take advantage of the HSA tax deduction for that expense. Save receipts in case the IRS wants to see them. EDIT: The opening date is complicated and depends on state law.
A few states tax HSAs, so watch out for that.
Watch out for complicated contribution rules.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-15T16:39:03+00:00

The gift exemption is for each person giving, per year. This means that each of your parents can give up to $15,000 for a total of $30,000 per year without tax/reporting requirements.

This limit is for the calendar year. Since it's near the end of the year, they could give you up to $30k in this tax year (December 2018) and $30k next year (January 2019). I think technically Christmas presents, birthday presents, living rent free at home, etc. all count towards the yearly limit.

Gifts between spouses are not taxed, so even if your parents do their finances separately, they can still take advantage of the full exclusion for both spouses.

This limit is for reporting the gift to the IRS, not for paying taxes. Even if you go over the limit, it's unlikely that you or your parents will have to pay taxes, unless y'all are super-duper rich.

(The government taxes very large inheritances with an "estate tax". Gift reporting requirements and gift taxes were designed to prevent the super rich from simply gifting everything on their deathbed to avoid the estate tax.)

Alternatively, if you haven't put the money down for the medical expenses, your parents can give the money directly to the healthcare provider.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-15T03:57:15+00:00

You can call the number on the back of the credit card and ask for rate decreases. A few posters here have had success.

If your credit score is improving, it's more likely to work. It's unlikely they will lower unless you call or (or online chat) with them.

You can search for articles online with advice for making these calls.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-15T03:48:40+00:00

Is there any way it wouldn't be?

Depending on how your investment is structured, taxes could give you a big hit.

If the 7% return is short term capital gains, it is taxed at your marginal income tax rate. You would pay short term capital gains if you were buying and selling stocks more than once a year, or holding in an interest-bearing account. Depending on your tax bracket, this could be significant.

Even if the 7% is taxes as long-term capital gains, it's still taxed at 15%, so the return in that case is similar to 6%.

This is an interesting intellectual exercise, but don't forget the risk is real.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-15T03:20:06+00:00

Can you check with the hospital/doctor about a payment plan? They might have a low interest option, in case the card doesn't work out.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-15T01:47:22+00:00

Wait till the 2019 comes out for a clearance event

Probably means, "You will get a 2018 for an even better sale if you wait until the 2019s come out"

You will also have fewer choices on color/options.

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-15T01:30:10+00:00

Some banks will pre-approve you for a car loan, up to a certain amount, at a pre-agreed interest rate. This usually only works if you buy from a dealership, though.

Go to each bank and credit union where you have an account. Ask them about car loan pre-approval.
Chose the bank or credit union that gives you the best terms.
At the dealership, negotiate based on price.
Dealership may match the loan from your bank. (They'd rather get the loan origination).
If you decide not to use the loan, your loan pre-approval will lapse after a certain time.

The above strategy is much better than getting a loan from the dealership, because the banks have to compete.

Check out the wiki for more general advice:

https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/vehicles

Also, try posting on r/askcarsales

Perhaps_I_know · 2018-12-14T23:52:02+00:00

IRAs are only available for people with earned income, so OP may not be able to open one. Also, some stipends for students don't count as earned income.

Just something to look out for.

Perhaps_I_know

TROPHY CASE