Jenny Alston, MBA

I used to visit Youtube whenever I miss a great TV performance. However, the reception in Youtube is not always perfect. A friend of mine recommended the website of Hulu.com

Last night, I did not get a chance to see Dancing with the Stars because I had to watch Monday Night football, Jets vs. Dolphins. I visited the site today for the sake of trying it. I searched for "Dancing with the Stars" and had a chance to watch the "Lambada performance of Derek." I was amazed at the clearness of reception.

This is probably old news for most of you but for me this is new and I would like to share the info. Anyway, if you have not yet heard about the site, visit hulu.com and get yourself surprised too. Have fun!

Have you read the article from Washington Post about the possibility of imposing taxes on medical benefits of employees? The decision is not yet final but the committee is looking at taxing only the individuals who are making at least 200k per year ($400k/year for families) or if it can be imposed to all employees, above some pre-set amounts.

According to one senator "Taxing only the wealthy does not make sense because it will raise too little money." The Senate Finance committee will unveil the health-reform legislation this month.

To read more information about this topic, you may Google "Tax on Medical Benefits" or you may read the full article from Washingto Post. Thanks!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052104184.html

Annuity is one of the tools that an individual can use for retirement or financial planning.

What kind of annuity should you buy? It should depend on your specific situation and objective.

IT MAY HELP TO KNOW THE FOLLOWING:

1. What is your current financial situation?

2. What is your objective and when do you need the money?

3. How much is the cost/expenses to buy an annuity?

4. Should it be fixed, variable, or split annuity?

5. What are the riders that you need?

6. What is your risk tolerance?

7. How much is the contingent deferred charges to take the money out?

8. Is it RMD friendly?

9. Is it the best investment option for your specific situation?

Is it applicable to your specific situation? It may or may not be applicable with your current financial situation but it would help to know the do's and don'ts of buying Annuities.

The agent or advisor should explain the cost/expenses for buying an annuity, the consequences of withdrawing the money, and other important information that needs to be disclosed.

What is the rule of 72? The Rule of 72 is one of the methods we can use to estimate an investment doubling time. If we want to find out the number of years that it may take to double your investment at a specific interest rate, we can divide the interest rate into 72.

For example, an investment of $100,000 with an interest rate of 8% will double in 9 years (72/8= 9). If the interest rate is 12% with the same investment amount will double in 6 years (72/12=6). There are other ways to do it but in my job, this is what I typically share with my clients.

I previously read an article saying that The Rule of 72 is accurate if the interest rate is less than 20%. To be safe, I will use the Rule of 72 for interest rates of 19% and under .

I've just read the news today from Pilot online.com. According to the online newspaper, PETA (People for the Ethical treatment of animals) lobied Dollar Tree, to stop selling the 'glue traps' because it can hurt animals. Any comment on this? There are interesting comments from the readers. You may see the full article from Pilotonline.com

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/12/dollar-tree-will-stop-selling-glue-traps-according-peta

Jen Alston