Saturday, April 27, 2024

I'm Set To Make A Massive Sum Of Money. My Husband Is Aghast At My Plans For It.

Pay Dirt is Slate's money advice column.  Have a question?  Send it to Athena and Kristin here .  (It's anonymous!)

The tension between you two really comes across in this letter. Unfortunately, you're not alone in this. I often hear about the arguments that erupt over assets left behind by family and spouses.

He may disagree that this is your best course of action, and he's allowed to, but he needs to let it go. It's your right to use your late husband's estate as you see fit. While I think your husband may eventually come around, it might be a good idea to talk to an estate attorney licensed in your state about your options moving forward. This is a great directory to help get you started.

Source: See here

Friday, April 26, 2024

Burlington Budget Deficit Balloons To

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Burlington's multi-million dollar budget deficit is higher than original projections. The Weinberger administration had estimated a $9 million shortfall, but it actually comes to more like $13 million. Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak on Thursday said the city needs to find a way to close that gap without sacrificing some of her greatest priorities.

The mayor says the $4 million under estimate can be attributed to higher personnel costs and a miscalculation of health care and benefits expenses by the chief administrator's office. She says they are now looking at all departments to find savings. "We can build a budget that is affordable and sustainable while also making sure it reflects our most pressing needs in our city," she said.

The city is also nearly done with two studies that look at raising certain fees and how to make city government more efficient.

City Council President Ben Traverse says he's not surprised about the bigger budget deficit and is looking forward to solutions. "I've been excited for some time and remain excited to learn more about the efficiency study that's been going on right now. I do think that there's a number of efficiencies that can be realized in the way that we do business and run and operate our city," he said.

With personnel costs being the city's main expense, we asked the mayor if she intended to continue the rebuilding plan of the police department. She says she is committed to the plan, which staffs the department with 87 officers. Right now, the department is at 68.

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Thursday, April 25, 2024

Millions More Salaried Workers Will Be Eligible Under Final Biden Administration Rule | CNN...

Millions of salaried workers will soon qualify for overtime pay under a final rule released by the US Department of Labor on Tuesday.

The new rule raises the salary threshold under which salaried employees are eligible for overtime in two stages. The threshold will increase to the equivalent of an annual salary of $43,888, or $844 a week, starting July 1, and then to $58,656, or $1,128 a week, on January 1, 2025.

"I suspect that such substantial increases may be a particular burden for many smaller businesses, forcing some to choose between cutting jobs and raising prices," said Ted Hollis, a partner at Quarles & Brady, a law firm. "Some businesses that cannot do either may be forced to close, resulting in unintended but predictable side effects of this government action."

The rule will "exponentially increase" operating costs for small restaurant owners who are "trying desperately" to keep menu prices steady, Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs for the National Restaurant Association, said in a statement.

"And because DOL created a one-size-fits all rule based on national income data, rather than regional data, this change is going to disproportionately impact restaurant owners in the South and Midwest," he said.

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Friday, April 19, 2024

Self-made Millionaire Who Retired At 35 Shares Biggest Money Regret

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't have a single financial regret. Even millionaires and early retirees likely had a few stumbles on the road to financial freedom.

But even after seven years of blissful semi-retirement, the author of " Millionaire Habits " says he wishes he'd done things a little differently early on.

"The one thing I really wish I did more of was saving, and especially investing more aggressively," he says. "It's exponential growth. The longer you invest, the more money you'll have at retirement . Period."

"I was saving 10%, which is the commonly recommended saving/investing percentage of your income," he says. "So at least I was doing that."

For many would-be savers, what Adcock describes as the minimum is a very reasonable starting point — especially given how he invested his savings.

"I was at a company that offered a 401(k) and also had a Roth IRA, and contributed a portion to each," he says. "Thanks to [advice from] my dad, I contributed enough to get the match in my 401(k) — that was literally free money."

If you hear a faint rumbling in the distance, that's the sound of a legion of financial planners nodding in approval. By contributing enough in his 401(k) to receive a full match, Adcock was theoretically earning a 100% return on his money . And by investing some of his savings in a Roth IRA , he set himself up to be able to make tax-free withdrawals in retirement.

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Wednesday, April 17, 2024

MTA Restricts Overtime Pay, Citing 'Unfavorable' First Fiscal Quarter

New York City Transit is cutting overtime pay across its divisions, according to internal memos reviewed by the Daily News.

⁘As we complete the first quarter of 2024 and review our financial results, unbudgeted overtime has remained above the budget contingency,⁘ NYC Transit President Rich Davey wrote last Friday in a memo to transit brass. ⁘As a result, we are imposing a moratorium to bring our overtime back in line with the budget.⁘

The MTA as a whole — which includes NYC Transit, the commuter railways and MTA⁘s bridges and tunnels — spent $205.6 million in nonreimbursable overtime this year as of March 1, the most recent available figure.

That⁘s $72.3 million over the MTA⁘s nonreimbursable overtime budget for the months of January and February.

⁘Given the unfavorable financial results for the first quarter, we are implementing immediate restrictions on the use of unbudgeted overtime until further notice,⁘ he wrote.

⁘All nonemergency work should be planned to ensure it can be completed on straight time,⁘ Davey wrote.

The moratorium is expected to slow down certain repair and station maintenance projects, but agency officials said Tuesday that service should not be impacted.

The moratorium will not apply to emergency work necessitated by weather events or other incidents, overtime required to run shuttle bus service or overtime required to fill certain staffing vacancies.

The overtime restrictions will still allow any additional hours required to operate the system safely.

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I'm Set To Make A Massive Sum Of Money. My Husband Is Aghast At My Plans For It.

Pay Dirt is Slate's money advice column.  Have a question? ...