Moneyrates.com says the national average savings account rate is 0.27%, and a one year CD averages just 0.55%! So if you have $1MM in savings for your retirement, this will amount to an annual income of $5,000 - If that doesn't sound appealing, you might want to consider yanking your savings and putting it into real estate. $1MM would buy five homes renting for $800 each net per month and your annual income would be $48,000 - keeping up with inflation at that. Or better yet, buy land parcels and finance it for somebody at 5%.
I have nice land parcels listed at
if you are looking for rentals to buy, send me an email!
If you have $3MM sitting around, there is a gold refinery in California needing a Bridge Loan. They have a contract for $5MM, but in order to fulfill it, $3MM is needed. They will pay 12% return on your money and pay the whole sum back in a year.
While thinking about Christmas over the holidays, I made a gift for you. I created a website with almost 50 links to different Internet Swap Sites.
You can post your white elephants and get something you can use in exchange for the price of the postage. I especially liked the site where you can post the profile of your yard to attract a gardener, or create a profile as a gardener and attract a yard to plant your favorite vegetables! There are also swaps for homes (take your kids to Europe!), college housing, books, movies, video games and you can even swap your skills.
The horse magazine "Going Gaited" asked me to write an article as to why somebody would want to move to Montana. So now I can say "I got published!"
To which my daughter had to say: "Hey, congrats! Let me know when you get the book contract :-) Kids!
Here is another friendly article about Red Lodge and winter: "A Snowshoeing Destination Guide to Red Lodge, Montana."
I did not write that article, but I got credit for the photo of Red Lodge from the air in winter, I thought that was a nice touch.
Our little house in Red Lodge stays much warmer now with the new windows, which cut our energy bill in half. Home remodeling appears to be a sensible thing to do in this economy. If you have to make room for additional family members, whether your parents are moving in or you are welcoming back a college graduate, you could possibly remove interior walls to create extra space in high-traffic areas like kitchens or bathrooms, installing 36-inch doors would also help. You might consider replacing small knobs or round pulls on doors, drawers or cabinets with levers and larger pulls that are easier for arthritic hands to operate, or how about wrapping up some of that hardware as a gift and put it under the Christmas tree with a coupon to install?
If you made home improvements with more energy efficient items, you might want to check this government website for possible tax credits before you file your taxes this year, maybe you will have some money coming your way:
There are several tax deductions that expire with the year 2011, so you want to be sure to pay for it this year.
Education expenses deduction of up to $4,000 even if the classes don't start until next year. Home energy credit up to $500. Sales tax deduction: If you itemize, you can deduct either your state and local taxes or your sales taxes paid during the year. This deduction is a boon for people who live in states with no or low income taxes. However, the deduction for sales and use taxes instead of state income taxes is scheduled to expire at the end of 2011. To maximize this deduction, you should make any large purchases before the end of the year.
An enhanced adoption credit is available for adoptions finalized before 2012. The credit is up to $13,360 of adoption expenses; you could qualify for a tax refund even if you did not have federal income tax withheld.
(Source: Stephen Fishman is a tax expert, attorney and author who has published 18 books, including "Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Contractors, Freelancers and Consultants," "Deduct It," "Working as an Independent Contractor," and "Working with Independent Contractors.")
This past week I upgraded several of our flashlights with 1watt LED bulbs. These bulbs work in most 1 to 6 cell AAA to D sized flashlights. The four main benefits are long bulb life (30,000+ hours), virtually shock proof (bulb won't go out if dropped), extreme white light, and extended battery life. Could be the last bulb you ever have to buy. Available from Amazon at:
When the power was out in New York earlier this year I could not reach my client because the land lines did not work either and he could not recharge his cell phone. So I thought a nice Christmas gift would be a solar powered charger that will charge your cell phone, your computer, MP3 Player, etc. This might be a good idea with as many power outages as we are experiencing. Amazon has several different models available.
There is something about
the outside of a horse
that is good for the inside of a man
~ Winston Churchill
Western Montana Equine Rescue Rehabilitation, Inc. takes homeless horses into their personal care, rehabilitating and training. They also try and help people in need of temporary assistance to keep their horses, providing education, help with hay grant alternatives, farrier, supplemental feed, and access to euthanasia grants if appropriate. They have some horses up for adoption:
Or you can help out with a check before years end and lower your tax bill:
Western Montana Equine Rescue
PO Box 1168
Corvallis, MT 59828
Better yet, just click the "Donate Now" button on their website and pay with PayPal
Shannon Alexander, Executive Director 406-360-8473
info@westernmontanaequinerescue.org
Here is a list for adoptable horses in other states:
I have never let my schooling
Interfere with my education
~ Mark Twain
That is the motto of the Thiel Foundation, to which Mr. Thiel had to say: "Every moment in history happens only once. If you have a good idea, the right time to work on it is right away, we are looking forward to helping 20 more people skip college and start changing the world."
The fellowship offers 20 youngsters born after December 31, 1991, $100,000 each to fuel their scientific, technical, non-profit or otherwise imaginative ideas. Teams of up to four are accepted, and must apply by December 31, 2011 at 11:59 pm, Greenwich Mean Time to be considered for the 2012 class.
Those accepted into the program then have two years to develop their ideas under the tutelage of the Thiel Foundation. "Our world is suffering from a lack of innovation," said Thiel Foundation president Jonathan Cain in a statement. "And you can't build a world-changing company in between classes or while servicing six figures of debt."
I wish you happy holidays and a bowl full of cookies!
:-)
Best Regards,
Dorothea Lowe, Broker
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