Health Care Poetry

"Say," Speaker Pelosi exuded,
When her colleagues to sausage alluded,
"If this casing we're filling
Is best after grilling,
Who cares how the wurst was extruded?"

-Limericks Économiques

Seven Questions to Ask Your Tax Preparer at Tax Time

When you visit with your tax preparer to drop off your tax return documents, be sure to ask the following seven questions and share the answers with your financial planner:

1. Will I be subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT) in 2010?
2. What will my marginal tax bracket be in 2010?
3. Can you help me estimate my income for 2010?
4. Do I have any remaining capital loss carryforwards for 2010?
5. If I were to do a Roth conversion in 2010, what would my tax liability be?
6. Do you have an recommendations for reducing my 2010 taxes? What about 2011 and beyond?
7. Is there anything my financial planner can do to help my tax situation?

Warren Buffett's Letter to Shareholders

A favorite portion:

“We’ve put a lot of money to work during the chaos of the last two years. It’s been an ideal period for investors: A climate of fear is their best friend. Those who invest only when commentators are upbeat end up paying a heavy price for meaningless reassurance. In the end, what counts in investing is what you pay for a business – through the purchase of a small piece of it in the stock market – and what that business earns in the succeeding decade or two.”
-Warren Buffett

To read the whole letter:
http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2009ltr.pdf