Category: Debts

Debts, Financial Attitudes, investment, Taxation

If You Know the Tax Law, You Can Also Pay Less Tax

by Enes ÖnerLeave a Comment on If You Know the Tax Law, You Can Also Pay Less Tax

Today, being an employee in America means paying half of the labor in taxes to the state. In fact, this rate is almost the same all over the world. There are no other tax options for employees. Before the employees receive their salaries, the state receives 24% of it.

The only tax cut that the state provides to employees only makes them more into debt. So, the path to financial freedom for employees or self-employed people is much more difficult.

Accountants tell their wealthy clients that if they buy a more expensive house, they can get more tax cuts. This option makes sense for employees or self-employed people. However, employers or investors often do not heed it.

Tax Reduction May Cause Debt Increase

The income tax rate paid by employers or investors is very low. For this reason, it is much easier to increase the money earned as a company owner or investor.

Employees or self-employed people can only benefit from tax deductions by purchasing a larger house. This doesn’t give a person financial freedom. It only brings more debt.

Buying a more expensive home is not wise for employers and investors. Because for them it’s the same as saying, “Lend me a dollar and I’ll give you fifty cents back.”

World History Full of Resistance to High Taxes

America has a progressive tax system. This means that low-income people pay lower taxes and higher-income people pay higher taxes. However, the system does not work exactly like that. Millionaires and billionaires can be the least taxpayers.

The taxes collected in American history have been protested many times. There have been many rebellions against taxation. The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) opposed the heavy taxes collected from the British colonies in America. Later, Shays’ Rebellion appeared in 1876, Whiskey Rebellion in 1791, and Fries’s Rebellion in 1799. The reason for all these resistances is taxes.

Not only in America but all over the world, there was resistance to taxes from time to time. There have been more than three hundred and fifty resistance, civil disobedience or uprising against taxes imposed since the 16th century.*

Baby boomers begin retiring. What will happen now?

Especially in our modern world, taxes are needed. Problems arise if taxation is not carried out successfully and the collected taxes are poorly managed.

Baby Boomers are already retiring. Within a few years, millions more of them will retire and will cease to be taxpayers and enjoy social security benefits. This will increase the financial burden of the states considerably. So, in the face of rising taxes, the rich will seek other countries where they can invest their money.

How You Earn Money Determines Your Perspective on Taxes

There was an interview with an investor in the newspaper recently. The investor made a million dollars profit and paid no taxes. Because he was able to delay his tax since the money he earned was a capital gain. He was also exempt from tax when buying and selling real estate because he only exchanged property.

A few days later, I saw elsewhere that this same investor was captioned: “He made a billion dollars and admitted he didn’t pay taxes.”

What is written in this title is actually not a lie. However, at first glance, it makes you think that the investor is evading tax. But the investor did not do anything against the tax law.

Different ways of generating income.

This is a good example of the difference in tax perspective of those who make money in different ways.

The truth is that not all income is taxed equally. Some are less taxed and some are not taxed at all.

Those who have gained financial freedom, and especially investors, are familiar with the laws regarding taxes. Thus, it is easier for them to increase their money.

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Debts, economy, Financial Attitudes, investment, Understanding Money

The Difference Between A Good Investor And A Bad Investor

by Enes Öner2 Comments on The Difference Between A Good Investor And A Bad Investor

Many people invest in mutual funds. When I ask someone, who is investing in mutual funds, he answers: “But I am also investing. I have a portfolio of mutual funds. I also have bonds and stocks. Isn’t this all investment?”.

Yes, saving is also an investment. Buying mutual funds, stocks or bonds is also an investment. But it is the kind of investment a saver would make, not an investor.

Let’s take a look at the passive investor philosophy. Most investment advisors provide a recommendation like that:

• Work hard

• Save money

• Get rid of your debt

• Make long-term investments

• Diversify your investments

This is good advice for a certain group of people – suitable for people with a savings philosophy or passive investors. In today’s circumstances, I believe this advice is riskier than any financial advice. It may seem as a reliable and wise advice to those who are financially inexperienced.

There is only one word to distinguish between a saver and an investor. That word is leverage. Thanks to leverage, you have the ability to do more with less.

Many savers do not use financial leverage. And if you don’t have enough financial knowledge or experience to apply leverage, it would be better for you not to use it. I will explain this to you later. Let’s take a look at these standard recommendations from the perspective of the saver and then the investor.

Work Hard

When many people think of “work hard” advice, they only think about their own hard work. The leverage effect on one’s own hard work is very small. Imagine if others will help you to get rich with their hard work. This is the power of leverage. States do not ask us to seek jobs, but to create jobs. If everybody starts looking for work, economies will collapse. For economies to grow, we need people who can create jobs.

Save Money

The problem with saving money is that the current economic system needs borrowers, not savers, to grow. In order for our economic system to continue to grow, it needs smart borrowers. The system does not need people who get poor by borrowing, but people who can borrow money and get rich. While 10 percent of the people who borrow money in the world benefit from their debts to be rich, 90 percent of them become poor with their debts. And this ratio is getting worse every day.

Get Rid of Your Debt

Many savers think that debt is bad and it’s smart to pay off mortgage loans quickly. And for many people, borrowing is bad and getting rid of debt is wise. However, if you are willing to devote some time to your financial education, you can use your debt to move forward. But if you are considering investing with debt, I would like to warn you once again that you should invest in your financial education first.

There is good debt and bad debt. Being financially smart is knowing when to borrow and when to avoid it.

In these economic conditions, savers are losers and borrowers are winners. For whatever reason, you should always be careful when using borrowed money.

Make Long-Term Investments

Look at this advice in terms of sellers: “Give me your money to keep me for years, and I’ll get certain payments from you over the long term.” The phrase “make long-term investments” is like the advantages that allow you to earn points. You become a loyal customer.

Depending on the payments you make to manage the fund, mutual funds may not earn you as much money as other investments.

Diversify Diversify Diversify

Warren Buffet, considered the richest investor in the world, says this about diversification: “Diversification is a safeguard against ignorance. It won’t make much sense if you know what you’re doing. “

Then the question arises: Whose ignorance do you protect yourself from? Is it your own ignorance or the ignorance of your financial advisor?

Diversification generally means that you should not put all the eggs in the same basket. Warren Buffet puts them all in the same basket. He once said: “Put all your eggs in one basket, but watch your basket carefully.”

Personally, I prefer to focus rather than diversify, and actually the reason I was able to move forward was focus, not diversification.

I saw an acrostic on focus in a book I read.

For many, diversification is a good strategy. This is only because it protects investors from themselves and inadequate advisors.

The traditional financial planning advice “work hard, save money, get rid of your debts, make long-term investments and diversify” is good for the average. This advice is also good for those who are rich but are not interested in learning how to become an investor. Many movie stars, wealthy professionals, or former athletes do that. Just remember that while following this path, you will have a very small leverage.

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Debts, Financial Attitudes, Financial IQ, investment, Understanding Money

Don’t Work Too Hard -Work for Yourself

by Enes Öner6 Comments on Don’t Work Too Hard -Work for Yourself

The mentality of considering home as investment and seeing wage growth as a resource to buy a larger house or spend more is the foundation of today’s debt-based society. Most people move up to higher positions in their jobs over time and receive regular salary increases. However, due to the increase in expenses, many families are under greater debt day by day and face more financial uncertainties.

If you are an employee,

  1. You work for someone: Most wage earners enrich the boss or shareholder. Your efforts and success contribute to the success and retirement of the boss.
  2. You work for the state: The state gets its share before you get your salary. By working harder, you increase the amount of tax charged by the state. Most government officials work from January to May only for enriching the state.
  3. You work for the bank: After taxes, your biggest expense is deductions and credit card debt.

The problem with hard work is that each of these three stages gets their share thanks to your increased efforts. What needs to be learned is how to translate increased efforts directly for the benefit of you and your family.

Most people have to rely on their salary to pursue their profession and receive income-generating active funds. So how do they measure the extent of their success as their actives grow? How does one realize that he or she is rich or has wealth? In this regard, besides the definition of active and passive, the definition of wealth is also important. Let’s look at what R. Buckminster Fuller said. Although what he says seems quite complicated, it begins to make sense after reading it thoroughly:

“Wealth is a person’s ability to survive so many numbers of days forward … or if I stopped working today, how long could I survive.”

R. Buckminster Fuller

Wealth is the measure of cash flow from comparing the expenditure column to the asset column. If it sounds a bit complicated, let’s explain it with an example:

Let’s say you have $ 1000 a month of cash flow from the active column. Your monthly expense is 2000 thousand dollars. How much is your wealth?

Let’s return to Buckminster Fuller’s definition. How many more days of financial power do you have according to Fuller? Only half a month’s cash flow.

If the cash flow from your assets reaches $ 2000 a month, then you are rich.

So, you are not rich yet, but you are wealthy. Every month, you have income generated by active funds that fully cover their monthly expenses. If you want to increase your spending, you must first increase the cash from your assets to maintain this level of wealth. Remember that you are no longer dependent on your salary. You are successful in building your active columns that gives you financial independence. Even if you quit your job today, you can meet your monthly expenses with net income from your assets.

The next target will be to transfer the surplus cash flow from active funds back to the active column. The more coins enter the active column, the larger the column gets. The larger your active funds, the greater your cash flow and net income. As long as you keep your expenses less than the cash flow from your assets, you will get richer, you will have income other than resources from your physical effort.

As this reinvestment process continues, you take firm steps towards getting rich.

Few people have enough money to survive today. There are even people who do not have enough money to live for a month. Many Americans have less than $ 400 in savings. A more shocking statistic in 2016, the GOBankingRates found that 34% of Americans had no savings at all. Few people can survive for a long time without a paycheck or government aid.

Lastly, let’s keep in that in mind:

The rich buy the active funds. The poor have only expenses. The middle class buys passives that they think are active.

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Debts, Financial Attitudes, investment, Taxation, Understanding Money

Taxes and Credit Debts

by Enes Öner5 Comments on Taxes and Credit Debts

All over the world, taxes are rising steadily. Because the social demands in return for the tax charge require an increase in the value of wealth, income and sales taxes. Higher incomes cause taxpayers to enter even higher tax brackets. Thus, tax rates increase gradually to meet social services. Today, governments face serious problems with social service programs such as Social Security and State Health Insurance for the elderly. As a result, they cannot pay their debts.

For most people, taxes are the biggest expense item. Most people consider these taxes are income taxes. However, for most developed countries like America, the highest tax is the premium paid to social security. Employees pay roughly 7-8% tax on social security contributions and health care. However, this rate is actually 15% since the employer pays the social insurances to complement this rate. This is the amount that the employer cannot pay the worker. Moreover, the employee also pays the income tax of social security contributions deducted from her salary. In fact, this is an income that she never received since it goes directly to social insurances.

Let’s explain this subject with a simple example. Imagine a newly married couple. This educated young couple rented a small flat. They start making some restrictions to make a living. After a while, they realize that they are spending as little as they did before they got married. So, they save some money.

But one day, the flat they rented starts to seem too small for them.

They want to buy a bigger house to have children. Now, they want to save more money. They start working more.

Their income gradually increases.

As their income increases, so does their expenses.

When they think they have enough money, they buy their dream house. Meanwhile, they learn about a new tax called property tax. Over time, they buy furniture for their new home. They also buy a new car . They suddenly realize that their column of passive funds is now filled with mortgage debt and credit card debt.

They finally have a child. The couple work harder. The same process repeats. The more they earn, the more taxes they pay. They get new credit cards. Their debt increases gradually and becomes equal to the value of their homes.

A company that provide loans to the couple recommends “debt consolidation” while the couple’s credit ratings are high. The company also states that the best thing to do is to pay off their credit card debts and high interest consumer loan debts. Besides, interest on home loan will be deducted from tax. They accept and pay high interest credit card debts. They feel a little relieved. Credit card debts are over. Now they have added their consumer loan debt to the house mortgage debt. Loan installments decreased because they extended the repayment for another 30 years.

Discounts begin in various stores and markets. The couple do not intend to buy anything, they just want to go and walk around. But they also take their credit cards in case they see something necessary…

We often meet this young couple. Their names are different, but their financial dilemmas are the same. They all look for an answer to “How can I make more money?” question.

The real reason for their financial problems is that they don’t know how to spend their money. They don’t have financial knowledge; they do not understand the difference between active and passive funds.

Let me say it again: Earning more money is often not the solution to financial problems. The solution is to act wisely. There is a famous quote for those floating in debt:

“If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”

Will Rogers

We must be aware of three powers: The power of the sword, the jewel, and the mirror. The sword symbolizes the power of weapons. America has reached this position by spending millions of dollars on weapons. Jewelry is the power of money. Whoever has money sets the rules. The mirror symbolizes the power of self-knowledge. Self-knowledge is the most valuable of these three, according to Japanese legend.

The lower and middle classes are willing to let the power of money control them. They shoot theirselves in the foot by getting out of bed and working hard, not asking themselves what they are doing. Many who do not understand money, surrender to the power of money. The power of money is used against them…

You can continue reading with THE ROBIN HOOD IDEAL.

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