Anyone with a real estate license of any type has been asked on exams about “redlining”. I thought that this practice was a thing of the deep past. Nope. The U.S. Department of Justice announced a $31 million settlement with City National Bank over allegations that the Los Angeles-based bank engaged in “redlining” – a […]
The Secure 2.0 Act of 2022 made more than 90 changes to retirement account rules. You should check them out. The one that I would like to discuss in this email is the Required Minimum Distribution. Currently, Americans must start taking required minimum distributions from their 401(k) and IRA accounts starting at age 72 (or […]
Wayne Bell, who was the former California Real Estate Commissioner and Chief Officer of the California Department of Real Estate, is an outstanding attorney and writer. I asked him to share his thoughts on a concept that all real estate licensees must know, and he drafted a brief piece on the fiduciary duty which is imposed […]
My latest IRS tip email was delivered today. One sentence was very interesting. Alabama, California, and Georgia storm victims now have until May 15 to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. You must be living in a county that has been designated a disaster area. About 40 have been […]
Dear Friends, 2023 is here. Time to renew, recharge and reflect.. 1) Every DRE renewal must now complete an additional 2 hour Implicit Bias course and a 3 hour Fair Housing Course with an Interactive Participatory Component. Want to view a sample of the course? Click here. Then, sign up for your renewal for only $65. Good for both […]
Google says that they are a “snack taken at the bar with drinks.” Our youngest daughter on her birthday got to select the restaurant and went Basque again. This means TAPAS. To me, Tapas are, “extremely small portions, extremely small plates, and extremely high prices.” I want more than a tapa; I want a birthday […]
The other day I heard some expert on a very sophisticated podcast answer a call-in question concerning VA Loans. The person said, “I am considering getting a VA Loan”. The expert responded that they should stop considering it because their fees are too high then went on to another boilerplate topic. I thought that Veteran […]
IRS has an amazing Tax Tip email service. Real estate people should study them and use them as handouts to your clients. This is information from the source. I would register for their tax tip email and then google IRS TAX TIPS ARCHIVES to check what has been sent out in previous years. This is […]
Lots of disagreements on this subject. Some time ago, the New York Times published an article by Aaron E. Carroll that stated that one to two drinks are “good for your health.” It created many responses with many disagreeing with that statement. So the author published a follow up story with more data, and he […]
Congratulations, you will be 72 this year. You probably realize that you will be asked to start taking money out of your IRA’s this year. Yes, that IRS regulation that most Senior Citizens hate with a passion. You have to take money out (not Roth IRAs of course) and pay tax on it. Ordinary tax […]
