From the category archives:

Social Security

Prevent Obama’s Increasing Debts from Bursting your Nest Egg

July 11, 2010

Podcast: Download (22.9MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Complimentary Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, July 13th at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern).

The topic is “True Asset Optimization: How to Choose the Right Investments.” You’ll learn how to maintain liquidity and guarantee safety of principal while earning a healthy, tax-free rate of return that outpaces inflation.

Register now by calling 1-888-76-Radio (888-767-2346). If operators are busy, please call again.

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

Government Confusion Has Led to Gambling Plan

Is our nation’s best hope for an economic recovery left to officials who will continue increasing our debt at an alarming rate?

Nile Gardiner voices his alarm at this question in “America is sinking under Obama’s towering debt”:

“I hope the White House is paying attention to the latest annual Congressional Budget Office Long-Term Budget Outlook, which offers a truly frightening picture of the scale of America’s national debt, with huge implications for the country’s future prosperity. According to the non-partisan CBO, “the federal government has been recording the largest budget deficits, as a share of the economy, since the end of World War II…

“As a result of those deficits, the amount of federal debt held by the public has surged. At the end of 2008, that debt equaled 40 percent of the nation’s annual economic output (as measured by gross domestic product, or GDP), a little above the 40 year average of 36 percent. Since then, large budget deficits have caused debt held by the public to shoot upward; the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that federal debt will reach 62 percent of GDP by the end of this year—the highest percentage since shortly after World War II.”

In the last year the debt has risen from about $11.7 trillion to $14 trillion. And with the baby boomers coming up on retirement needing social security, Medicare and Medicaid, this number should be expected to soar.

As a result about a quarter of the population believes that the economic stimulus package has created jobs. In fact according to a recent Rasmussen report, over 40 percent of the population believes that the economy is now in a worse position as a result of the implementation of this plan.

Social security seems to use the same plan that Bernie Madoff used causing him to go to jail. It simply takes the money from the newer members and uses it to pay off the benefits promised to older members.

The only difference is this “robbing Peter to pay Paul” plan is considered legitimate since is falls under government control.

At this point it seems that the government is confused and policy makers have decided to bet that the private sector can make for some of the stimulus over the next few years.

If they are right they can get a head start on trying to close the budget deficits, but if this gamble is wrong they may set off a vicious new cycle in which drastic spending cuts could greatly weaken the world economy.

How to Protect Yourself?

We can no longer expect the government to fix everything. Those in a position to promote growth should do so.

It is time for individuals to take ownership of their future, health-care needs and retirements and create their own stimulus plan.

In “Create Your Own Economic Stimulus Plan — Save Yourself Because Big Government Can’t” six points are addressed teaching the ways to create economic growth for yourself no matter what schemes the government is trying to ‘fix’ the economy.

The following are the initial three points of this plan that can lead you toward financial growth no matter what is going on in the world economy.

1. Learn how increasing your credit score from 680 to 720 can increase your monthly income by $700 a month.

2. Learn to use $150,000 of equity in your house to create an additional $2.3 million in your retirement.

3. Forget 401(k) and IRA plans and learn to earn, grow and upon death even transfer money tax free.

Meet with a Missed Fortune advisor to gain a greater understanding of these points and learn to avoid being a pawn in the governments stimulus gamble.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders

The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg.

Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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What Will the Government Nationalize Next?

May 9, 2010

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Complimentary Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, May 11th at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern).

The topic is “True Asset Optimization: How to Choose the Right Investments.” You’ll learn how to maintain liquidity and guarantee safety of principal while earning a healthy, tax-free rate of return that outpaces inflation.

Register now by calling 1-888-76-Radio (888-767-2346). If operators are busy, please call again.

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

Next Up on the Government’s Nationalization Agenda

A crisis is unfolding with dire consequences, though few Americans are aware.

The harsh reality of national insolvency is forcing the government to look for new sources of revenue.

What’s the most logical source? You guessed it: qualified plans, meaning 401(k)s and IRAs, where Americans have saved more than $13 trillion.

Lee Bellinger, publisher of Independent Living, recently published a report entitled “40l(k)/IRA Nationalization Quietly Moves Forward.” His comments are just common sense:

“As the government’s finances continue to deteriorate, the White House and a powerful network of left-wing think-tanks, Congressional activists, and the highly-influential Ford and Rockefeller Foundations are engineering a new regulatory and tax-incentive drive to herd and ultimately force Americans to convert their 40l(k)s and IRAs into government-directed retirement accounts…

“…the extreme tactics used to ram health care nationalization down the country’s throat are a blueprint for what could be the biggest asset grab in history: the nationalization of private retirement accounts.”

It’s only a matter of time. In March of this year, the New York Times reported:

“This year, [Social Security] will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes, an important threshold it was not expected to cross until at least 2016…”

Business Week reported that new federal regulations designed to “promote the conversion of 401(k) savings and Individual Retirement Accounts into annuities or other steady payment streams” would help drive cash into government-controlled entities such as American International Group (AIG), “the insurer that has received $182.3 billion in government aid.”

Bob Chapman of The International Forecaster explains,

“The looting of retirement plans is still in the planning stage, and you’re seeing these trial balloons go up.”

Bottom line: Major congressional overhaul of retirement plans — to your detriment — is something you should be planning for.

Roll ‘em Out!

In light of this crisis, the wisest, most logical decision for you may be a strategic rollout — to transfer your qualified plan funds into maximum-funded, tax-advantaged life insurance contracts, which provide the following benefits:

Tax-free growth
Tax-free and penalty-free withdrawal
Tax-free transfer to heirs
Guaranteed safety of principal
Healthy returns that outpace inflation

If you think you’ll be in a lower tax bracket when you retire, you need to consider what the government is up to and think again.

Taxes will never be lower than they are today, and your dollars will never be worth more than they are today.

Escape the greedy clutches of government bureaucrats by meeting with a Missed Fortune advisor.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders

The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg.

Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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You’re Being Penalized for Saving, Investing, & Staying Healthy

April 18, 2010

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Complimentary Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, April 20th at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern).

The topic is “True Asset Optimization: How to Choose the Right Investments.” You’ll learn how to maintain liquidity and guarantee safety of principal while earning a healthy, tax-free rate of return that outpaces inflation.

Register now by calling 1-888-76-Radio (888-767-2346). If operators are busy, please call again.

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

Government Penalties for Healthy Behavior

We recently passed Tax Freedom Day, the day the commemorates how long you work for the government before being able to enjoy the fruits of your own labor.

Did you know that Americans will pay more taxes in 2010 than they will spend on food, clothing and shelter combined?

And as William La Jeunesse reported:

“When you combine the public debt — the amount we owe China and other nations — with our intragovernmental debt — what we owe social security — the interest alone is $383 billion. That’s more than what we spend on energy, agriculture, homeland security, education and almost every other government agency combined.”

We live in a great country and we should all pay our fair share to keep our nation strong and vibrant. Unfortunately, however, many people pay far more than their fair share.

What’s worse than how much we all pay in taxes is the fact that government policies penalize healthy habits and behavior.

For example, in a New York Times article by Roni Karyn Rabin entitled “Could Health Overhaul Incentives Hurt Some?,” Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, says,

“Right now, the employees who are healthy and living a healthy lifestyle are paying for those who are not. They are overpaying almost twice as much for the unhealthy: the obese, the smokers, people like that. You, an employee who is healthy and doesn’t smoke, are subsidizing the medical claims, with your premiums going up every month, to pay for someone who smokes, for someone who is obese.”

By 2020, 90 percent of all federal tax revenue will be allocated just to servicing the national debt and deficit, and most Americans will be paying 50 percent of their income in taxes.

Currently, 55 percent of Americans pay more in taxes than they receive in social benefits, and the remaining 45% receive more benefits than they pay in taxes.

This ratio is only going to get worse — we’ll continue penalizing the producers to support consumers.

Such a system disincentivizes saving, investing, maintaining physical health, and other behavior.

Play Good Offense With Your Personal Finances

It’s been said that the best defense is a good offense. With the government constantly attacking your hard-earned wealth, this holds true for your personal finances.

Rather than waiting for the government to rob your production and then playing defense with your CPA, you need to take a more proactive approach.

You need to put your serious cash in vehicles that give you the following benefits:

Tax-free growth, tax-free withdrawal, and tax-free transfer to heirs.
Penalty-free liquidity.
Safety of principal.
A healthy rate of return that outpaces inflation.

Schedule a free consultation with a Missed Fortune advisor today to jump-start your personal finance offense.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders

The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg.

Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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America’s Health Care Tragedy & Your Finances

March 28, 2010

Podcast: Download (22.9MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Complimentary Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, March 30th at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern).

The topic is “Choosing the Right Investments.” You’ll learn how to maintain liquidity and guarantee safety of principal while earning a healthy, tax-free rate of return that outpaces inflation.

Register now by calling 1-888-76-Radio (888-767-2346). If operators are busy, please call again.

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

America’s Health Care Tragedy

With the recent passage of the health care bill, liberals have struck one more blow to the American spirit.

If things continue toward socialism, the America we grew up in and love will be lost for our children and grandchildren.

We’re heading towards income tax rates for average Americans of 50 - 60 percent. And the bill is having immediate impact on American businesses.

Claudia Cowan recently wrote an article entitled “On the Tab: Food, Drinks, & Health Care.” She reports:

One of the provisions in the new health care law requires small businesses to provide coverage for workers. Such an ‘employer mandate’ has been in place in San Francisco, Calif., for over a year. The mandate has earned mixed reviews at best.

“Under the law, businesses with 20 or more employees are required to provide medical coverage, either on their own or by paying into a city-run program. That’s what most restaurants are doing — albeit grudgingly.

“To cover the cost, owners are either having to raise their menu prices or tack on a so-called ‘Healthy Surcharge’ onto the tab. At some places, it’s around 4 percent of the check. Others charge a flat fee of a dollar or two.

“Either way, customers are footing the bill for the health care of their waitstaff, busboys, and cooks…”

Beginning in 2013, investors will also start feeling the oppression of Obamacare. As Associated Press reports in an article entitled “Health Bill Extends Wage Tax to Investments”:

“High-income families would be hit with a tax increase on wages and a new levy on investments under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul bill…

“A new 3.8 percent tax would be imposed on interest, dividends, capital gains and other investment income for individuals making more than $200,000 a year and couples making more than $250,000.

“The bill also would increase the Medicare payroll tax by 0.9 percentage point to 2.35 percent on wages above $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for married couples filing jointly.”

Take Ownership For Your Future

We can’t depend on the government to take care of us. The government is simply plunging America deeper and deeper into debt and taking from those who produce to support those who do not.

Producers must take ownership for their future. You need to be proactive about retirement planning. You need to save yourself because big government can’t.

Specifically, you need to learn how to invest wisely. You need to invest in strategies and products that give you the following benefits:

Tax-free growth, tax-free withdrawal, and tax-free transfer to heirs.
Liquidity.
Safety of principal.
A healthy rate of return that outpaces inflation.

Taxes are going up and the dollar will be worth less. So what are you going to do about it?

Meet with a Missed Fortune advisor to learn how you can secure your future against an increasingly-intrusive and inept government.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders

The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg.

Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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With Taxes Rising & the Value of the Dollar Falling, What Should You Be Doing?

February 9, 2010

When David Walker, Comptroller General of the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), left office about two years ago, he stated he needed to retire so he could tell the American public the truth.

The truth is we currently have national debt that exceeds $13 trillion, which represents a liability of $43,000 per American citizen.

It’s also estimated that this year’s deficit will equal 2009’s deficit and will likely add about $1.6 trillion to the debt.

Yet we continue to experience stagnant unemployment, shrinking tax revenue and a struggling economy for the foreseeable future.

Not only that, but the Trustees of Social Security estimate a current unfunded liability in excess of $100 trillion in 2009 dollars.

This means that the federal government has obligated itself to pay more than $100 trillion over and above any taxes it expects to receive.

In other words, that’s how much would have to be invested at U.S. Treasury rates to pay the future liability owed to Social Security recipients who have faithfully paid into the system during their careers.

Most people can’t even begin to comprehend what $100 trillion is. It’s “100” with 12 zeros to the right. Just $1 trillion would be $1 dollar bills lined up end-to-end from here to the moon and back—200 times!

Even though many believe that Social Security is our greatest entitlement problem, Medicare is six times larger in terms of unfunded obligations, according to David Walker of the GAO.

It would require $700,000 from every full-time working individual in America in order to cover this huge liability. How is that going to happen?

On top of that, Congress estimates that if the proposed health care reform comes to fruition, it will be at an estimated cost of just under $2 trillion during the next ten years.

In the meantime, the interest alone on the national debt accrues at $41 million an hour (just under $1 billion a day)—that’s $690,000 per minute, or $11,500/second!

When individuals find themselves with more outgo than income, they are forced to either cut expenses or increase income. Well, the federal government is definitely not cutting its spending, so it is clear it will be forced to raise taxes dramatically and will likely be printing more money.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, by mid-century, a middle income family will have to pay two-thirds of its income in taxes!

I can confidently assure you that:

Your current tax bracket will likely be the lowest bracket you will ever be in, and
Your money will never be worth more than it is today.

So, what should you be doing?

Many smart people are now converting their IRAs and 401(k)s (and other qualified accounts) by doing what I call a “strategic rollout.”

This is a method of taking care of taxes now on those accounts at a lower rate and repositioning the money into vehicles that will accumulate tax free from this point forward and more importantly, will provide tax-free income later.

Why wait for your IRAs and 401(k)s to recover from their losses and then pay tax on that higher amount later? You can either pay the IRS now or you will pay them more later.

Now is the time to convert your IRAs and 401(k)s to better plans. There are safe and proven strategies that will help you get your future back!

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The Government’s Day of Reckoning

December 27, 2009

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Complimentary Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, December 29th at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern).

The topic is “True Wealth & Total Asset Optimization: How to Establish Your Own Family-Empowered Bank.”

You’ll learn how to safely accumulate an additional $1 million tax-free that can generate $70,000 per year in tax-free income. This is much better than receiving $100,000 per year from a 401(k), IRA, or other vehicle that requires you to pay taxes on the back end.

Register now by calling 888-76-Radio (888-767-2346).

Just for registering you’ll receive a bonus e-book and audio book on the IRA/401(k) dilemma.

Furthermore, all attendees will receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

The Day of Reckoning

The verdict is in: Our government is headed toward disaster.

Social Security — the biggest ponzi scheme on the planet, is already technically bankrupt.

The current Social Security debt stands at $60 trillion. Due to inflation, its current unfunded liability is $100 trillion.

One crippling force catching up to us is age demographics. When Social Security was introduced there was one recipient for every 60 workers. Within a decade of instituting the ill-fated program the ratio was one recipient to 15 workers. By 1986 the ratio was one recipient per every 6 workers.

The current ratio is one Social Security benefit recipient per every 3-4 workers.

For the first time in history, in the first week of October of this year Social Security paid out more in benefits than it received in taxes. This wasn’t predicted to happen until 2042.

If those statistics aren’t enough to jolt you, consider this: Medicare has six times the amount of unfunded obligations than Social Security.

Our national debt stands at $11.7 trillion, which would require $38,000 per citizen to pay off. National health care alone will add another $2 trillion.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that by mid-century a middle income family will have to pay over 2/3rds of its income in taxes.

And let’s not forget about inflation.

Meanwhile, Congress is preoccupied rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Why doesn’t the government have to live basic economic principles like the rest of us?

The answer is simple: Because it has the power to print money and take it forcefully from wage earners.

This recklessness, foolishness and oppression is unsustainable. At some point there will be a day of reckoning.

The question is, what are you doing about it?

Your Personal Economic Stimulus Plan

While you can’t control what the government does, you can control your own finances. You need a personal economic stimulus plan to help you outpace inflation and minimize taxation.

And the Missed Fortune strategies provide both of these through specific asset optimization strategies, as well as properly structured maximum-funded, tax advantaged insurance contracts.

Get started now with your economic stimulus plan.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders

The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg.

Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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I Don’t Own an IRA or 401(k)–Never Have, Never Will!

August 5, 2009

There Are Better Ways to Save and Have Tax-free Income in Retirement

If you’re like many Americans, you may have seen 30, 40 or 50 percent losses on the value of your 401(k)s or IRAs in the last few years. But I predict the worst hit is yet to come-and it’s not what you think.

As it is, recovering from losses can be tough. For example, when an account loses 50 percent of its value, the account has to experience a 100 percent gain just to get back to the break even point. Say you had $100,000 in a 401(k) two years ago that is now worth $50,000. Your account would need to double to get back to its original value. In this volatile economy, that could take years.

Also, retirement accounts that were once worth twice as much and generated interest income of 7, 8 or 9 percent, are now worth half as much and are only generating 2, 3 or 4 percent.

But that’s not all to be worried about.

Despite all the recent losses, I predict it will pale in comparison to the tax hit retirees will experience the day they begin withdrawing their money from their qualified retirement plans.

I had a school teacher who came to me several years ago for financial planning. She knew she would only be receiving 60 percent of the income she had when she was teaching (2 percent for every year of 30 years of service). Thus, she had socked away money faithfully in the state’s 401(k), 403(b), and in tax sheltered annuities (TSAs) to supplement her retirement.

But when she retired, she found herself in the highest tax bracket she had ever been in, even though she was not working. Why? Her house was paid off; she was not contributing to these accounts anymore; and she had no dependents. Her tax deductions were all gone. On top of her pension and social security, at age 70½ she was forced to withdraw the minimum distribution from her tax-deferred accounts. Her taxable income was $80,000 a year, with hardly any deductions. All that money she had saved in taxes during her 30 years of contributions-she essentially paid it back to Uncle Sam during the first two years of retirement, and every two years thereafter!

You see, the government has a permanent tax lien on your IRAs and 401(k)s.

One thing is certain: Future taxes will be going up. For this reason, I don’t own an IRA or 401(k)-never have, never will! There are better ways to save and have tax-free income in retirement.

There is only one savings accumulation vehicle that provides liquidity, safety, and earns an attractive rate of return that is tax advantaged while your money accumulates, and can remain tax-free when you withdraw it, and is income tax free when transferred to your spouse or heirs.

What is it?-A properly-structured, maximum-funded insurance contract under Internal Revenue Code guidelines.

I own several wherein my money grows tax-free, I can access it tax-free for income, and when I ultimately die, any money remaining will transfer income-tax free to my beneficiaries. I have every advantage that a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) offers plus a whole lot more because I can put in as much money as I want and there are no rules on when I can withdraw my money.

If you’re feeling confused and powerless because your IRAs or 401(k)s lost 20-50 percent during the last couple of years, leaving you frustrated-even feeling paralyzed-there are safe strategies and solutions that will help you get unstuck and get your future back!

Tagged as: 401(k), 401(k)s, Doug Andrew, IRA, IRAs, Max Funded Insurance, MFTA Life Insurance, Missed Fortune, Roth IRA, Universal Life Insurance