Total average cost for 2012/2013 ranges from $22,261
to $43,289 depending on whether a student is attending an in-state Public
college or a Private college.
The
maximum amount you can contribute to a traditional IRA or Roth IRA in 2013
increases to $5,500 (or 100% of your earned income, if less), up from $5,000 in
2012. Many other plan limits increase as well.
The
Great pumpkin recipe is out of the Big Green Egg Cookbook for “Eggheads”. The Green Egg is the best charcoal BBQ ever
invented. This recipe is loosely based
from a recipe out of a Native American cookbook. The pumpkin was a staple of both Colonial America
and Native Americans. The original
recipe called for ground buffalo or ground venison mixed with Italian sausages,
so feel free to add your own substitutions.
It is always a special treat each year when the Pie Pumpkins show up in
the produce department.
I am new to golf and accomplished my first birdie by landing
the ball only a few inches from the hole on the fourth hole of the Nile Golf Course. I don’t get out on the course
very often so I rely on my personal trainer, Byron Dondoyano for golf
conditioning. It really helps prepare
you even if you can’t spend several days a week golfing. My best friend, Tish Johnson, and I try to
play nine holes every Monday at Glen Acres, and my husband and I every Friday
at the Nile. With all of our various business and personal
activities I feel fortunate if I get out two or three times a month.
The countdown continues as we’ve learned 400
Teslas have now been delivered – only 688 more to go before Candy finally gets
hers, and the excitement continues! ElonMusk, CEO and product architect for Tesla Motors recently revealed the
Supercharger network of charging stations it has secretly been building. These Supercharger stations can add 150 miles
of range in about 30 minutes of charging time, and perhaps best of all, these
stations will remain free forever for Tesla owners. Musk is also the CEO and CTO of SpaceX (world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft) and chairman of SolarCity (revolutionize
the use of solar energy). Truly a
milestone in today’s technological advancement, we are excited to see how this
may transform the automotive industry as we know it.
The
leftover coconut milk from our Saigon Beef recipe can be used to make this
delicious shrimp soup. A
perfect meal as we head into fall, it will warm you from the inside while the
tropical aromatics of the dish bring a little piece of summer right to your
kitchen. You can adjust the amount of
spice depending on your taste, and we generally find that more can be used if
you are serving the soup with a starchy side dish like rice or bread.
With
the possibility of federal income tax increasing soon, a 2012 Roth conversion may
be an attractive option. When you
convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, the conversion is generally taxed as
ordinary income (except for any after-tax, nondeductible contributions you've
made). With the "Bush tax cuts" set to expire at the end of 2012,
federal income tax rates will jump up in 2013. Unless Congress acts, we'll go
from six federal tax brackets to five. While
there continues to be discussion about extending the expiring tax cuts, many
believe there's little chance of resolution until after the November election.
Chris
Rumble, a 22-year-old Seattle Children’s Hospital
cancer patient has created a truly inspirational music video with the
collaboration of doctors, nurses, and fellow patients, to the tune of Kelly
Clarkson’s hit song “Stronger.” I
enjoyed it very much and thought you might too – it makes me proud to be a part
of this wonderful organization’s Professional Advisors Network.
Will
liquid lasers change the way we prevent disease? University of Michigan researchers have
developed a new way of using liquid lasers to detect genetic mutations that may
predispose a person to a particular type of cancer or other diseases.
On June 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled,
in a landmark decision, that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the
provision that most Americans carry health insurance or pay a penalty, is constitutional. To help clarify the changes, Health Insurance
consultant Jere Meyer has provided us with a handy Health Care Reform Timeline
showing the major provisions from 2010 through 2014.
Effective January 1, 2012, Washington state is now
a Long Term Care Partnership state. Please find attached an article written
by David Johnson for the Bulletin of the
King County Medical Society that
explains how partnership long term care insurance policies pay benefits to help
cover the high cost of long term care services AND protect assets from Medicaid
spend-down should the policyholder exhaust their benefits. Click here to view full article
Victoria Trigg reminds you that a number
of significant federal income tax provisions expired at the end of 2011, a fact
that might be easily overlooked with so much attention being focused on the
"Bush tax cuts" that are still in effect, but scheduled to expire at
the end of 2012. And new Medicare-related taxes, effective in 2013, have received
surprisingly little coverage. Of course, new legislation could always extend
some or all of these provisions, but here's a quick summary of how things
stand.
David Johnson
reminds you to take note of some of the changes to Medicare in 2012. Medicare’s health and drug insurance plans
change every year, and whether you’re already enrolled or coming up on Medicare
eligibility, you need to stay on top of the changes.
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s American Premiere of Don Quixote is brimming with wit and romance. Actor Tom Skerritt really adds to the entertainment factor. We were blessed to be able to go to the studio rehearsal to see it up close and personal, then the dress rehearsal followed by the opening night’s stunning performance by Carla Korbes and Karel Cruz.
I am pleased to announce that Lena Meyer has joined us as our new Relationship Manager, and Nicole Vitelli will move to the role of Operations Manager. Lena will take on your day-to-day contact with Nicole’s support.
Forfield does an excellent job of summarizing all the key tax numbers in this very condensed version of the most important tax numbers for personal tax filing. Please note that in 2012 the maximum amount you can add to your 401(k) has increased to $17,000 up from $16,500, so don’t forget to increase your contributions to adjust for this increase. The catch up for those over 50 years old remains the same at $5,500. For IRAs the limits have not changed, with a contribution limit of $5,000 and catch up provision of $1,000.
Brokers must track and report cost basis to both you and the IRS. Anyone who has ever been baffled by calculating the net proceeds from the sale of an investment will find some relief, starting with the 2011 tax return due April 17. If you bought any stocks after January 1, 2011, and sold them later in the year, you should be receiving information from your broker shortly that tells you the adjusted cost basis of those stocks.
One of my passions is designing and renovating our home and Yakima property. This winter we finished the renovation of our two car garage which included the installation of two electric car power stations - one for our Nissan Leaf and the other for my long anticipated Tesla Model S.
