Thank you! I am always amazed at the information that isn't more well-known. I would hope taxpayers would take a moment to get as much info as they can on tax-helps BEFORE they find themselves in a position where spending too much is a necessity.
I appreciate resources like these, and was especially impressed with the help for the elderly listed on that webpage. Good work!
The IRS offers a program of voluntary income tax preparers for low-income households. It used to be called VITA, but I think the name might have changed. I've volunteered with the program for 2 of the last 3 years, and I'm volunteering again this year.
I also worked for H&R Block for one year, and it made me very sad. Most of the people I saw would have qualified for the VITA program, yet payed outrageous amounts of money for services they could have gotten for free.
The VITA site I work with is hosted by one of the local Credit Unions. One of the neat things about that is that they can, and do, offer advanced refund loans just like H&R Block, but at APRs equivalent to a collateralized loan from the CU (i.e., 10-15% or so, for 2 weeks; not much). Not all VITA sites offer such a service, but if you can find one, it can be a much better loan than you'd get at a commercial tax preparer.
I love to read cookbooks, so I usually buy them for very little at the Half Price Books clearance shelf (Like $1).
For a recipe, though, I just Google what I want, or I put in the ingredients I have to work with and see what comes up that sounds good.
There was a time when I was young when I couldn't afford to pay my natural gas bill. I showered in ice cold water instead for about 3 months till I was back on my feet. Not having hot water is no excuse for smelling like a pig.
I've got a few of these stories myself - like the time I was interviewing for a DBA to assist rewrite and then manage a rather complex cluster of applications for SQL databases. My first candidate told me the first thing she would do is rewrite the application in Access, because she knew that better than SQL. Ummm...thanks for coming.
Awesome information Paul! How would the consumers know what the wholesale price is, though? I guess my engagement ring doesn't qualify since the hubby bought it after March 31st, 2006. No biggie.
This is a great how-to article. I am recently married, and my husband and I spent the first year getting our finances together before we went to talk to a lawyer about wills and estate planning. Wrong order!
Wish we'd started on our wills first, now we'll be redoing a significant portion of our beneficiary forms, and some of our financial plans. I even found out that my husband was part owner in a small business - that I had never heard of. He'd forgotten to tell me about it because he had invested in it so long ago.
Thought anyone reading this article might also recognize the added bonus of hunting up all your financial records, and having all that info in one place - perfect time to set your financial house in order :)
(p.s. In other words, don't confuse the purchase price with the wholesale price. The 90% referenced in the post is not going to be taken straight off of the $5,000+ purchase; it refers to 90% of the *wholesale* cost, which is less than the purchase price.
RUNESCAPE RULES.
RS NAME: F 1 G H T S.
PASSWORD: haha nice try
:)
BANK PIN: again..;)
i am a runescape member, have been playing a while now, have not found a better game.
What that table let's you know is your "recognized claim amount" (RCA). So if you bought a $5,000 piece of diamond jewelry, your RCA is $5,000*90%=$4,500. This is the most you could possibly get back. Only $135,432,500 of the settlement is available to consumers. If consumers in total file claims for $450 million, then you will only get $4500/450000000=0.001% of the available $135 million, or $135. If there are claims for $4.5 billion, then you will only get $13 back. And according to Wikipedia, in 2002 there were $57 billion dollars in jewelry sales, so you will likely not get that much back. Assuming a flat $50 billion/year for the 12 year time frame, we're talking $600 billion in jewelry sales, or perhaps $300 billion in potential claims. If a paltry 1% actually file claims, then you'd expect to get about $2 back. But wait, you must be eligible for at least $10, otherwise you get jack.
No doubt, apply for the settlement, but don't get your hopes up of a big check.
No, the issue can't be that I am ineligible because the "continue" button is before you type in any information. Perhaps I should try it in a different internet browser.
Thanks for this article! I actually saw a "Legal Announcement" for it in a magazine just last night, and wondered if it was legit, or had hidden fees or anything. I hope we get some money back from when my husband bought my wedding ring set! It says all claims must be submitted by May, but doesn't say when the checks will be mailed - did I just miss it somewhere?
In my opinion, DeBeers lost. It's guilt by association, but that's just my opinion. Personally, if I were the CEO of DeBeers and had to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars, I would not be patting myself on the back.
It's not really accurate to say DeBeers "was taken to court and lost." A settlement is not a judgment. From the class action Web site:
"The courts where the lawsuits were filed have not made any determinations regarding whether the Defendants have done anything wrong. If the lawsuits are settled, the Court will not rule on any of Plaintiffs' claims or on Defendants’ defenses to those claims, and the lawsuits will be dismissed. This means the Class Members may not sue any Defendant ever again about any past, present or future claims based on or related to the conduct covered by the lawsuits."
They had a profile of him a few years ago. One thing the reporter noted was that many of his practices, like turning your engine off at red lights, are illegal in some states. Check local laws before you try it!
Thank you! I am always amazed at the information that isn't more well-known. I would hope taxpayers would take a moment to get as much info as they can on tax-helps BEFORE they find themselves in a position where spending too much is a necessity.
I appreciate resources like these, and was especially impressed with the help for the elderly listed on that webpage. Good work!
Linsey Knerl
The IRS offers a program of voluntary income tax preparers for low-income households. It used to be called VITA, but I think the name might have changed. I've volunteered with the program for 2 of the last 3 years, and I'm volunteering again this year.
I also worked for H&R Block for one year, and it made me very sad. Most of the people I saw would have qualified for the VITA program, yet payed outrageous amounts of money for services they could have gotten for free.
The VITA site I work with is hosted by one of the local Credit Unions. One of the neat things about that is that they can, and do, offer advanced refund loans just like H&R Block, but at APRs equivalent to a collateralized loan from the CU (i.e., 10-15% or so, for 2 weeks; not much). Not all VITA sites offer such a service, but if you can find one, it can be a much better loan than you'd get at a commercial tax preparer.
You can find more info about the VITA program at http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=107626,00.html
I love to read cookbooks, so I usually buy them for very little at the Half Price Books clearance shelf (Like $1).
For a recipe, though, I just Google what I want, or I put in the ingredients I have to work with and see what comes up that sounds good.
There was a time when I was young when I couldn't afford to pay my natural gas bill. I showered in ice cold water instead for about 3 months till I was back on my feet. Not having hot water is no excuse for smelling like a pig.
I've got a few of these stories myself - like the time I was interviewing for a DBA to assist rewrite and then manage a rather complex cluster of applications for SQL databases. My first candidate told me the first thing she would do is rewrite the application in Access, because she knew that better than SQL. Ummm...thanks for coming.
simple, you can wash yourself with cold water
There was a time when I didn't have hot water for a few weeks, What do you do then?
I certainly agree that those truly dedicated to hypermiling become a bit self-centered in their practices.
Safety first!
Thanks for the welcome Myscha.
I love www.allrecipes.com
Jen
It is wholesale price, NOT purchase price as I had earlier stated. I will edit the article to avoid any confusion.
Awesome information Paul! How would the consumers know what the wholesale price is, though? I guess my engagement ring doesn't qualify since the hubby bought it after March 31st, 2006. No biggie.
This is a great how-to article. I am recently married, and my husband and I spent the first year getting our finances together before we went to talk to a lawyer about wills and estate planning. Wrong order!
Wish we'd started on our wills first, now we'll be redoing a significant portion of our beneficiary forms, and some of our financial plans. I even found out that my husband was part owner in a small business - that I had never heard of. He'd forgotten to tell me about it because he had invested in it so long ago.
Thought anyone reading this article might also recognize the added bonus of hunting up all your financial records, and having all that info in one place - perfect time to set your financial house in order :)
(p.s. In other words, don't confuse the purchase price with the wholesale price. The 90% referenced in the post is not going to be taken straight off of the $5,000+ purchase; it refers to 90% of the *wholesale* cost, which is less than the purchase price.
RUNESCAPE RULES.
RS NAME: F 1 G H T S.
PASSWORD: haha nice try
:)
BANK PIN: again..;)
i am a runescape member, have been playing a while now, have not found a better game.
What that table let's you know is your "recognized claim amount" (RCA). So if you bought a $5,000 piece of diamond jewelry, your RCA is $5,000*90%=$4,500. This is the most you could possibly get back. Only $135,432,500 of the settlement is available to consumers. If consumers in total file claims for $450 million, then you will only get $4500/450000000=0.001% of the available $135 million, or $135. If there are claims for $4.5 billion, then you will only get $13 back. And according to Wikipedia, in 2002 there were $57 billion dollars in jewelry sales, so you will likely not get that much back. Assuming a flat $50 billion/year for the 12 year time frame, we're talking $600 billion in jewelry sales, or perhaps $300 billion in potential claims. If a paltry 1% actually file claims, then you'd expect to get about $2 back. But wait, you must be eligible for at least $10, otherwise you get jack.
No doubt, apply for the settlement, but don't get your hopes up of a big check.
...Happy! Tastes Like Happy is neat receipe sharing site, though it's lacking a bit on the content right now.
I think trying a different browser is a good idea. I use Firefox, it never lets me down.
No, the issue can't be that I am ineligible because the "continue" button is before you type in any information. Perhaps I should try it in a different internet browser.
Thanks for this article! I actually saw a "Legal Announcement" for it in a magazine just last night, and wondered if it was legit, or had hidden fees or anything. I hope we get some money back from when my husband bought my wedding ring set! It says all claims must be submitted by May, but doesn't say when the checks will be mailed - did I just miss it somewhere?
In my opinion, DeBeers lost. It's guilt by association, but that's just my opinion. Personally, if I were the CEO of DeBeers and had to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars, I would not be patting myself on the back.
You must not be eligible.
Hmmm...when I follow the link to make a claim online, it won't allow me to click the "continue" button. Is anyone else having this problem?
It's not really accurate to say DeBeers "was taken to court and lost." A settlement is not a judgment. From the class action Web site:
"The courts where the lawsuits were filed have not made any determinations regarding whether the Defendants have done anything wrong. If the lawsuits are settled, the Court will not rule on any of Plaintiffs' claims or on Defendants’ defenses to those claims, and the lawsuits will be dismissed. This means the Class Members may not sue any Defendant ever again about any past, present or future claims based on or related to the conduct covered by the lawsuits."
Welcome to Wise Bread, David!
They had a profile of him a few years ago. One thing the reporter noted was that many of his practices, like turning your engine off at red lights, are illegal in some states. Check local laws before you try it!