One man's treasure is another man's junk. James Nichols died of natural causes at the age of 82. His backyard was piled high with his treasures. The neighbors thought he was a little strange. One remembered him driving around with a manikin in his passenger seat. Strange or not, after not being seen for several days a concerned neighbor called the police.
Officers said they found his house filled with personal items, debris, and lots and lots of garbage. No one came forward to claim his body or take control of his estate, so the county appointed a temporary administrator. A contractor was hired to clean up the house and property.
Aside from the volume, the trash was nothing special. Seven Dumpster loads were removed. While cleaning the basement one of the workers discovered a false wall. Twenty-eight years ago Mr. Nichols wife, Joan, disappeared. He was not charged with a crime as authorities thought she left willingly. Her body, wrapped in plastic, was behind the wall. An autopsy showed the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
The police officer in charge of the case said, "It's safe to say Mr. Nichols is the prime suspect in this case. Being dead will make it difficult to arrest him. If there is any justice in the world I'll assume he isn't in front of the Pearly Gates."
Creepy.
The fourth annual AARP guide to saving creatively is out. Here are several tips from the finance section.
1. Big Bills: Convert money into $50 bills. You'll think twice before spending them.....Or get $100 bills and think four times.
2. Find Your Pension: See if you or someone you know has an unclaimed pension. Check the U.S. Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation's on line directory at search.pbgc.gov.....If you don't know you have an unclaimed pension, you're not going to have much fun spending it. Oh great, just when I'm in the wheelchair wearing a lobster bib and colostomy bag someone finds my pension. (Bet you checked the site)
3. Shop For Savings Rates: Compare savings accounts before making a deposit. Some sites, such as NextAdvisors.com, Bankrate.com and GoBankingRates.com offer online calculators and reviews of accounts with the best interest rates.....Maybe you have the time and enough money to make a difference, I don't. Let me see, Bank One pays .80% and Bank Two pays .85%. If I put $10,000 away for 10 years and go with Bank Two, I'll have an extra $54.32. Why would anyone put savings in a regular bank account? (See #8)
4. Second Act: Get your employer to help foot the bill for your education. You may receive up to $5,250 in tax-free education benefits from your employer each year.....HEY, It's AARP...RETIRED people. Who gives a shit about an education now? OK, so you only need to be 50 to join AARP. You're going to work another fifteen year or so. Make a deal with your boss. Just take half the money and go to 'Vegas.
5. Save On Sales Tax: See if your state has sales tax holidays. Check the Federation of Tax Administrators website (taxadmin.org) and search "tax holidays.".....You're going to wait and go shopping once a year? Oh, big ticket items like refrigerators you say. Go ahead and do that but don't complain when your kid graduates high school and can't spell his name. Or your State Police has four cars and a Moped.
6. Youthful Drivers: For children under the age of 25 still living in your home, it's cheaper to keep them on your automobile insurance policy.....Even better, you have adult kids living at home, let them pay their own insurance. Hey, why do you have grown kids sponging off you in the first place?
7. Homeowners Insurance: Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Make sure you have adequate coverage to rebuild your home in case disaster strikes. Be sure to get replacement coverage on your home and its contents.....and earthquake insurance and flood insurance, tornado insurance and fire insurance, theft insurance and in-case I forgot something insurance. You're In Good Hands With Allstate.
8. Index Insight: Buying index funds instead of actively managed funds can cut your investing expenses by up to 80% annually. What's more, Standard & Poor's research indicates that index funds consistently outperform actively managed accounts.....You will most likely earn more money NOT paying someone to manage your finances. Do I have this right? Crazy Old Uncle Sol knew what he was doing. He put his money in Maxwell House Coffee cans and buried them under the house. If Aunt Freida and Cousin Tod ever find them I bet they have a fortune.
9. Family Ties: Having adult children or grandchildren living with you may mean special tax breaks for you. Ask your tax preparer about claiming dependents for any family members you support-even if they're not your offspring.....If they're not your offspring? Are you taking in people off the street? Why are you supporting adult children? The operative word here is ADULT. ( See #6)
10. Save On Stamps: Schedule payments for your bills on line and you won't need to buy stamps.....No more paper cuts either. Everyone that can should be doing this. It's faster, easier and safer. Also, maybe congress will finally allow the USPS to stop Saturday delivery and save $2 billion a year.
Follow the blog for more money savings tips over the next few weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment