frb1951

Perhaps your employer will have the same policy as you in their payments to you. In other words, if you make an error in your time sheets, expense records, etc.. and under bill your company then you need to "pay" for your mistake and eat the money your company should have paid you.

Perhaps your company will take the same approach and of all of their employees, you are the one who will understand why your
paycheck is less than what you earned.

What goes around in life comes around.

Just for the record, I hardly doubt their handling of the check for the damages to your car is their standard policy. As an insurance adjuster, I'm sure you already investigated that angle. A simple apology is all that you were "owed". Who pays for increased costs due to unreasonable customers???? We ALL do!

A man is only as good as his word.

Ok Meauxjeaux,

Since no takers so far, I can only tell you of my past experience with banking and opening a new business...years ago...maybe things are different now..??

I'd strongly suggest a small bank or credit union versus a regional bank. Had it not been for our small home town bank in the 80's when my spouse was in the construction business, we would have probably lost everything. My husband called the mid to late 80's "The Great Louisiana Depression".

Many businesses did fail at the time. Because of banking with a small bank where we were a name rather than a number, our loan officer bent over backwards to help us through those years.

A neighbor who works for the same bank confided that many times in board meetings, our loan officer would voice his confidence in us paying the loan(s)and asked for patience from the board members on our behalf.

That same bank has now been swallowed up by a regional one. When you walk in to the main branch of the bank in our local city, you have the feeling that you just walked in to a funeral parlor. The once bustling hub of the city which once employed 80 to 100 is now reduced to 2 to 3 employees.

I know the days of small banks are just about over, but in the interim, they normally serve their customers with genuine interest and care.

Credit unions are also my pick any day over a regional bank.

Good luck...hopefully others will chime in!

The following link may be of more help:

LINK

Again, Good Luck!

Land is one of the best investments, if not the best investment there is. Be sure to hire a Forester before you have any timber cut as he can survey your timber and mark the trees you should cut which provide other trees the room to grow, etc.

Foresters generally know which ones to cut and which trees to save. The only other problem you might encounter is finding a reputable logging company. Check references not only on the Forester, but also on the logger.

Many times a good Forester will work with one particular logger as good, honest ones are hard to find. Also, when your timber is being cut, have someone on hand to make a log of each truck that leaves your property so you can follow the sells and make sure you're are getting paid for all of your timber.

You might want to start with LSU's Agricultural Department for the names of some good Foresters.

Good luck!

Part of the second to the last paragraph vanished. Here's the rest of it:

Always two sides to every situation...just be careful not to release the living will to ANYONE other than an attending physician, and only then at such time as there is no hope and your loved one is not able to talk for himself/herself because he/she is comatose!

Don't mean to scare anyone, it's just that I've seen it happen at a major hospital in Baton Rouge and I would hate to see the same happen to any other patient!

I'm still more concerned about the offer from the company than I am about how the couple will fund the contribution. Is it just me?

Does anyone ever question investments any more? Maybe because I've recently uncovered a scam one of my clients was unknowingly involved with. I would imagine investing is going to require a lot more of prior personal research from all of us than in the past as these economical times seems to be a breeding ground for bad and/or scam investments.

If I have the following facts right, stop and do a little investigation before making a decision:

1. Wife's company usually matches "a high amount" of employees 401(k) accounts but did not match at all in 2012..

2. "Last week" the company announced they will match up to 15k of any contribution for the remainder of the year.


Wife's company had to be in a financial bind earlier this year because of not matching the contributions, and the company is now telling employees it will "match up to 15k of any contribution for the remainder of the year".

With the announced new match for the remainder of 2012, one of two possible scenarios are:

1. The company made such a turnaround in it's financial picture that it is now able to make this "too good to be true" match.

OR

2. The company is struggling to survive and by "matching" 15k of employee deferrals, it temporarily gets company off the hook with a horrible cash flow problem. $15,000.00 less per employee for paychecks from now through 12-31-12 would help any company with cash flow.


401(k) plans have government red tape a mile long associated with them on the employer's end. I wonder if the company made the required reporting as to altering the match percentage as it did at the beginning of 2012. Also, did the company again make the proper reporting to IRS to alter again their match percentage for the balance of 2012, and is it even legal for a company to do this? Trying to decipher 401(k) reporting requirements, match rules and regulations can make one nauseated reading them on IRS.gov.

Companies can do wonderful things with "constructive accounting" to make their financial picture bright...the situation just seems odd to me and personally, that would be the first hurdle I see in this matter.

The bonds will transfer through probate to the legatee. When the bonds are cashed in, the 1099 will be issued in the name of the legatee and the interest (which will be paid to the legatee) should be reported on the legatee's return for the year he/she cashes them.

I'll be happy to take that burden of paying the taxes...just sign the bonds over to me and the legatee won't have the burden! ;)

Judge,

First thing to remember, don't rely on retirement personnel for tax advice. Talk with whoever does your taxes to get a true picture of your year end tax situation with each option.

In the interim, if she merely withdraws her retirement rather than rolling it over directly to an IRA, the retirement system is required to withhold 20% in Federal taxes and will hold more if she requests them to do so. Assuming your wife won't qualify for any exceptions to the 10% penalty if she withdraws her retirement, then the total Federal taxes that she will ultimately owe will be what bracket this extra income will fall into on your joint return plus an additional 10%. For instance, if her withdrawal falls into the 25% bracket on your return, then 35% is the actual taxes that will be due on the withdrawal. If that is the case, unless she requests 35% withholding rather than the standard 20%, you will definitely see a reduction in your refund which would be the best case scenario. If your refund doesn't take care of the additional 15%, then you will end up owing when your return is filed for the year she withdraws her retirement.

A withdrawal or monthly retirement checks from the La. Teacher's Returement System is NOT taxable on your Louisiana return. HOWEVER, if the retirement is rolled over to a traditional IRA and then withdrawn, the entire amount is taxable on your Louisiana return. When your wife reaches age 65, current La. law excludes the first $6,000 of retirement income from other retirement items such as an IRA. "Current law" is the key here as there are studies going on presently on what exemptions, credits, etc the state can stop in the future to try to bring in additional funds to the treasury.

To make a long story short, there are many things that need to be considered before y'all make your decision. If you prepare your own returns normally, my best advice would be to bring a copy of your latest return together with an estimate of your current years income and sit down with a tax professional BEFORE you make a decision. Too many times retirement offices or employers don't paint the true picture of the tax consequences of a retirement withdrawal. For some taxpayers, 20% withholding may produce a refund if little or no other income is involved. For other taxpayers, 20% withholding is simply not enough. FYI: The early withdrawal penalty has NEVER been 8%.