{"id":29373,"date":"2015-01-31T03:00:52","date_gmt":"2015-01-31T11:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=29373"},"modified":"2024-01-27T11:13:54","modified_gmt":"2024-01-27T19:13:54","slug":"black-coffee-happy-days-are-here-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id29373-black-coffee-happy-days-are-here-again.html","title":{"rendered":"Black Coffee: Happy Days Are Here Again"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe<\/em> …<\/p>\n

Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.<\/p>\n

Well, it’s Super Bowl weekend and I’ve got a lot of errands to run this morning — so I’ve got an espresso edition of Black Coffee for you this week.<\/p>\n

Let’s get right to it because I don’t want to miss the big game.<\/p>\n

Credits and Debits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Ah, life is good in America, isn’t it? After all, the federal government has brought back the 3% down-payment<\/a> for home loans. Boo-yah! Yes, yes … I remember what happened in 2008. Don’t be a party pooper.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> It gets even better. As the New York Times reports, life in America is so<\/em> good today, anybody<\/em> can get a car loan today to buy a BMW — even if they’re on food stamps and have absolutely zero income<\/a>. Woo-hoo!<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Then again, I guess it’s not all<\/em> rosy. Not too long ago, we were told that $75,000 was the perfect annual salary<\/a> required to make most people happy — beyond that, studies indicated that more stuff didn’t increase the bliss factor.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> It turns out that number isn’t so cut-and-dried. I probably should have known better that the real<\/em> number depends on where you live<\/a>. For example, if you live in Manhattan, that number is actually $169,639. I’m glad I don’t live there.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> No matter where you live, here’s news that might take the smile off your face: Between 3 and 6 million Americans who passed on Obamacare’s oppressive premiums and sky-high deductibles in 2014 will pay a tax penalty<\/a> approaching 1% of their personal income this year.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Yes, this is the new America: home to a nanny-state federal government that punishes its citizens for NOT buying something. Let freedom ring. I’m still trying to figure out how we could let this happen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> By the way, starting this year, folks who understandably opt out of this scam — thereby refusing to foot the healthcare bills of everyone being subsidized<\/a> by the federal government — will see their Obamacare penalty increase to 2% of income. That’ll teach ’em!<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Here’s Obamacare’s dirty little secret: If your premiums and deductible are so high that you can’t afford the co-payment, then you’ve got insurance — but you don’t really have access to healthcare<\/a>. Subsidies or not.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Uh oh. Don’t look now, but federal politicians are so desperate for new revenue to fund their pet projects that they’re looking into taxing<\/a> tax-free 529 college saving plans. Hey, Big Government costs big money.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> No wonder more Americans than ever are hiding their cash where the government can’t get their grubby hands on it; 53% of them now keeps a portion of their cash outside the banking system<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Credit<\/strong>:<\/span> I know what you’re thinking: According to a Marist poll<\/a>, the most popular hiding place is not the mattress; at 11%, that was only good for third place. The winner is the freezer (27%). As for honorable mention, that goes to the sock drawer (19%). But of course.<\/p>\n

The Question of the Week<\/strong><\/p>\n

[poll id=\"46\"]<\/code><\/p>\n

Last Week’s Poll Results<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you think gas prices will still be this low during the summer driving season?<\/p>\n