SSA Earnings History

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A few months ago during the Equifax hack, I read that it was smart to freeze your credit (duh), but also to secure your Social Security Identity online. What do I mean by that? I mean create an online account at the SSA with a strong password and two step authentication so that nobody can … Read more

Financial Update Mar 2018

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Another month, another update. A few random comments. Good Reads/Listens/Watches Big ERN describes why home ownership can be a good investment after properly accounting for imputed rent (link). WSJ article on retirement destinations (link). WSJ article on people leaving bay area due to high cost of living (link). 36 year old accountant called in as … Read more

Taxcaster 2018 Available

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*** If you care to learn deeply about the tax code, I have begun writing a book which contains everything I know on the topic. The book discusses wealth accumulation strategies, of which tax minimization is a key component. The (imperfect and incomplete) draft can be downloaded here.***     Today I noticed that Turbotax … Read more

Financial Update Feb 2018

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Another month, another update. A few random comments. Good Reads/Listens/Watches Discovered a new podcast called Millionaires Unveiled. I enjoyed the episodes with Justin at Root of Good and White Coat Investor. Berkshire’s 2017 letter to shareholders Investing is an activity in which consumption today is foregone in an attempt to allow greater consumption at a … Read more

Tax software recommendations

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I’m filing my taxes this year through a little-known company called FreeTaxUSA that I found out about through Bogleheads. It’s free to do federal filing (including itemized transactions, investments, and self employed income). Their business model is to give free federal returns and charge $13 for state. FreeTaxUSA properly handles backdoor Roth contributions (remember to enter … Read more