The Rise of Income Inequality in the United States Part 3

Now that we’ve assessed how wealth inequality started and how to improve wealth and saving data, here are some ideas about how to further reduce wealth disparity:

The top 1% savings rate is much higher than both the next 9% and bottom 90% savings rates. One idea that is radical is to encourage long-run savings. The United States government could directly invest in these savings accounts so that they earn great rates of return. The other aspect of this plan would be to have interest in borrowing savings so as to encourage people not to borrow from their savings. Encouraging saving of the bottom 90% would reduce wealth disparity.

Other ideas to reduce wealth disparity include the following:

Increase progressive income taxation to decrease wealth disparity. Increase estate taxes in the United States to decrease inherited wealth Increase access to education and health benefits cost controls. Improve minimum wage policies. This will in effect shift power from shareholders to workers. Create better laws protecting consumers (such as predatory lending) and increase financial regulation to increase middle class wealth. Educate the bottom …

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The Rise of Income Inequality in the United States Part 2

Previously, I discussed the theory that wealth inequality is growing in the United States. A lot of this wealth inequality is due to the fact that Americans don’t report all of their information regarding their taxes. The following are some ways to improve wealth and saving data:

Employer pensions could be accurately estimated as well as the value of homes Other financial institutions could report balances as well. This would improve wealth distribution estimates. The concentration of taxable capital income has risen enormously for the 0.1%. This percentage used to be 10% in the 1960s and 1970s and has grown to 33% (2012). The rise coincides with the Tax Reform Act of 1986 reflecting changes in tax avoidance rather than in the distribution of true economic value. Some profits of partnerships and s-corps include income labor component reflecting a rise of top entrepreneurial income rather than pure capital income. Dividends and interest earned through mutual funds, s-corporations, partnerships, holding companies, and some trusts end up being included in the interest and dividends section of the ultimate individual owner’s tax return. …

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Affordability Tradeoffs – Food for Thought

“Virtually anything can be made more affordable in isolation, simply by transferring resources to it from elsewhere in the economy” -Thomas Sowell (American economist and social theorist)

Three of the primary things Bernie Sanders, an American presidential candidate, is trying to make more affordable are housing college, health insurance. Has anybody stopped to ask, what will happen to the economy three steps down the line if his policies were to be enacted? Thomas Sowell believes that transferring extensive resources from other activities to subsidize an exorbitant luxury makes the country poorer as a whole.

Medicare for all is estimated to cost between 2.8-3.2 trillion U.S. dollars per year. This is an exorbitant luxury. Housing for all is estimated to cost 2.5 trillion dollars. This is an exorbitant luxury. College for All would cost 70 billion per year from the state and national governments per year. This doesn’t mention his cancel all student debt plan (student debt in the united states is currently 1.6 trillion dollars. This is an exorbitant luxury.

Bernie Sanders’ plan fails to recognize tradeoffs and opportunity costs. Price …

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The Rise of Income Inequality in the United States

When a candidate like Bernie Sanders promises free health care and free education, many Americans have jumped at the idea of voting for him. Why? Many Americans feel something radical must happen in order to turn wealth inequality around. Here are 3 Trends in wealth inequality in the United States.

Income inequality in the United States has followed a U-shaped trend since 1913. The low-point in the wealth inequality graph occurs right around 1980. This shows that income equality was its lowest at that point than it was in the last hundred years. Most of the growth in the top 10% and top 1% can be attributed to the growth of the top 0.1%. The top 0.1%’s share of wealth has risen from 7% in the late 1970s to 22% in 2012 (most recent data available). The rise of the top 1%’s concentration of taxable income rises dramatically at the time of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 This change reflects changes in tax avoidance rather than in the distribution of true economic value

2.  The wealth share of the bottom 90% …

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Advice You Need For Life Cover in Ireland

Whole vs. Term Life Cover – Term Life insurance covers you for a specified period of time (ex. 10, 20 or 30 years). You are only paid benefits if you die within the term. Whole life insurance covers you for your whole life. When you die, a lump-sum payment will be paid to your family. Contemplate the Type of Cover You Need – For example, if you are considering buying life cover for your children, consider that it is taking longer than previous generations to get established into the workforce. They may need until their mid-twenties to be able to afford their own life insurance. Contemplate your family – The earlier you die, the more money you need to support your family. If you were to hypothetically die in your thirties, your family would be missing out on potentially thirty years of income that you would be providing. On the other hand, if you were to die in your seventies, it may not affect your family as drastically financially-speaking as it would if you were in your thirties. Consider Specified Illness …

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House Moving Made Easy

House moving can be overwhelming. Here are different types of mortgage options for you to try out.

Portable Mortgage – You can move your current mortgage to your new property using a portable mortgage. You probably have to fill out a request to switch and you may have to increase the size of your mortgage if the new home has a higher property value than the old home. Watch out for a higher interest rate in the new loan. Remortgage with current lender – This method can help the home mover find better rates, but there are other costs associated with this loan that make up for this. Depending on how deep you are into your current mortgage, the fee for remortgaging with the current lender is usually a cost between 1-5% of the previous mortgage. Exit, arrangement, and valuation fees may also apply. Remortgage with a new lender – This mortgage helps because it pays off your existing mortgage. You may also be able to sell off your old home. If the property value in your area has risen, …

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The All You Need to Know Self Build Mortgage Guide

Self Build Mortgages are different from typical mortgages in the fact that it is difficult to put the key in the door immediately. These homeowners typically build their home from scratch or have to extensively renovate their property. If you are thinking about building here are some helpful tips:

Maximum Mortgage – The most one can borrow is 3.5 time their annual total income. Self-build properties are calculated by adding the site price plus the build cost plus. The banks also calculate the final valuation once the building process is completed. Most of the time, the method which yields a lower mortgage value is the method that is picked. Extra Money – It is smart to make sure to have extra money set aside in the case of unforeseen expenses. A smart bet would be to set aside approximately 10% of the total cost. You don’t have to be an expert to apply for a self-build mortgage. You also don’t need to hire a company to undertake the project. Building yourself will save you money in the long-term and can …

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Tracker Mortgage Scandal

A tracker mortgage is a mortgage that has its rate tied to the European Central Bank rate. AIB and other banks looked to force people as many people as it could off of loss-making mortgages. After the market crash in 2008, it became expensive for many banks to borrow. The banks hurt themselves a lot with bad lending practices before the market crash. Once the market did crash, many of the mortgages were actually costing the banks money.

Instead of taking the financial burden, many of the banks looked to be sneaky. They looked to push people off of the mortgages in questionable ways.  The Irish Times estimate that scandal costs have surpassed 1.5 billion Euro.

What is even more crazy is that financial services knew about the banks being suspect. Many people went to court and lost. However, it is believed that many of the banks had a voice on these committees.

PTSB and Springboard Mortgages were the first two banks caught in the scandal. It is estimated that 1,400 people had their loans mismanaged by both companies. Some …

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The 8 Types of Mortgages

Mortgages can be scary for first time buyers. It may help to understand the different types of mortgages when you apply for a mortgage. Here are the 8 most common types of mortgages:

Repayment Mortgage – This is the most typical mortgage. You pay back the principle you borrowed along with the interest applied in fixed (typically monthly) installments. Fixed Rate Mortgage – This means the interest rate that the bank gives you is fixed for a specified period of time. It is a safe mortgage because the monthly payments do not change over time. Standard Variable Rate (SVR) Mortgage – The rate is changed by the banks typically to reflect how the economy is doing. This rate typically follows the LIBOR or Federal Funds Rate set by the central banks. Interest-Only Mortgage – This mortgage pays off the interest before principle. After the interest is paid off, the borrower starts to pay off the principle amount he or she borrowed. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Loan – These loans protect people who may not be able to pay back their …

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The Qualified Mortgage Patch

In less than a year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is letting the “Qualified Mortgage Patch” (QM Patch) expire. Why does this matter for first time buyers?

The QM Patch states that mortgage buyers must have a debt-to income ratio less than or equal to 43% in order to buy a home. This rule was created to protect borrowers from racking up too much debt. Removing the QM patch could have drastic effects for the European economy. Let me explain:

I grew up living in the United States during the Mortgage Crisis of 2007. It started with many investors looking for low risk high reward profits. They turned to the housing market to buy those loans. Banks would convert thousands of marketable securities and turn them into shares for investors to buy. They believed the investments were safe because house prices were rising dramatically during this time and credit unions gave many of these securities AAA ratings. AAA rating is the best rating a house can receive.

Investors loved these loans because they were very profitable. They started pushing the …

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