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The biggest wastes of money in 2017

BIG MONEY, BIG WASTES

Most of us make money mistakes, but they’re nothing compared to the wastes of money perpetrated by state organizations, private companies, and elite billionaires every year. So as 2017 comes to a close, let’s review the most staggering instances of financial waste in the past year—some that made headlines, and some that are still flying under the radar.

Click ahead to see the biggest wastes of money in 2017.

Discover The Richest Millennial Entrepreneurs

Millennials tend to get a bad reputation from older generations as entitled, self-centered, and periodically lazy. Not all millennials fit those categorizations, however. In fact, 3.2% of the ultra-wealthy global population falls within the millennial age range – not bad considering their relatively young age and the time it takes to accumulate such great wealth. These 30 millennials did not inherit a business from his or her family – they are all self-made entrepreneurs.

Mark Zuckerberg is the quintessential example of a now wealthy millennial who hit the ground running from an early age and ended up scoring big. Creating Facebook in the comfort of his dorm room at the age of 19, Zuckerberg is now worth some $74 billion — he is not only the richest millennial, but also the fifth richest person in the world. Several other booming businesses such as Airbnb, Instagram, and Snap Inc. were created by millennials who are now world-renowned billionaires.

To identify the richest millennial entrepreneurs in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a slew of credible sources, most notably Forbes, Bloomberg, and Wealth-X, to find people with the greatest to-date net worth. We used Pew Research Center’s definition of a millennial — those born between 1981 and 1997. Those above the age of 36 years old were not considered.

Why January Matters to Stock Investors With 401(k) Accounts

401(k) investors should break out their rally caps and root for stocks to keep going up in January.

The reason: How equities fare in the first month of the year often signals how they will perform for the full year.

And, so far in 2018, stocks are in rally mode.

They have closed higher the first four trading days, raising the hopes of 401(k) investors for more gains ahead, following a 25% return for the Dow Jones industrial average in 2017.

The gains have been powered by optimism that the economy and corporate earnings will benefit this year from tax cuts engineered by Republicans. Those positives are offsetting challenges, like a pricey market, an expected rise in interest rates and signs that investors are getting too optimistic about the market’s prospects.

Getting off to a good start on Wall Street is often the difference between full-year success and failure, according to The Stock Trader’s Almanac.

In fact, 401(k) investors’ odds of making money in stocks again in 2018 will rise dramatically if the market can notch what the Almanac calls a performance “trifecta” this month.

We’re not talking about a horse-racing trifecta, where bettors win when they correctly pick the order of the first three finishers in a race. A Wall Street trifecta is when the stock market does three things: It posts gains in the seven-day “Santa Claus Rally” that straddles December and January; it rises in the first five trading days of a new year; and it ends January with gains.

Of the 29 times since 1950 in which the S&P 500 stock index rose in all three of those periods, it finished the year higher 27 times, or 93% of the time, according to The Stock Trader’s Almanac. Following those trifectas, the large-company stock index posted average full-year gains of 18%.

More: Dow closes above 25,000, extending milestone-breaking run for blue-chip stock index

More: 18 stocks that could rise 25% in 2018

More: 401(k) savers: Where the stock market is headed in 2018

Those statistics back up the saying coined by the Almanac, “As January goes, so goes the year.”

So far this year, odds favor another good year for stock investors. The S&P 500 was up 1.1% during the Santa rally, which ran from Dec. 22 to Jan. 3. And it has risen the first four days of January, gaining 2.6%. If stocks stay in the black through January 31, it would be a bullish signal.

“A positive first five days and January would certainly boost prospects for full-year 2018,” noted Jeffrey Hirsch, the Almanac’s editor.

The first five days of the year is dubbed an “early warning system,” while the full-month market watch is known as the “January Barometer.”

There are a few reasons why a strong January often leads to further gains, says Sung Won Sohn, professor of economics at California State University Channel Islands.

Stock price trends and investor psychology are big factors.

“Once the bullish sentiment builds, it does not dissipate right away,” Sohn tells USA TODAY.

Still, Sohn warns that too much of a good thing might eventually be a negative.

“The market always overreacts in both directions, creating booms and busts,” Sohn says, adding that investor enthusiasm is getting overdone. “We are in the ninth inning of the (rally). I would be cautious and raising cash.”

There are two key reasons why stocks tend to rise early in a new year, says David Kotok, chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors, a Sarasota, Florida-based investment firm.

Investors that were selling stocks late in the prior year for tax purposes finish that process, he explains. In addition, fresh cash becomes available for investment as the calendar turns.

Kotok expects the early-year stock strength “to continue for awhile.”

He sees stocks being bolstered for the rest of 2018 by tax cuts.

“Short-term, I’m bullish,” he says.

10 Strangest Ways States Tax You (And Don’t)

Funny thing about our federal system of government: There’s that complicated tax code that Uncle Sam keeps and the IRS enforces.

Then there’s an even larger patchwork of taxation schemes crafted by 50 state legislatures, all coming up with new ways to extract coin from their citizenry (or create social policy through tax breaks). Some of these regimens are, well, quirky.

We’ve found ten of the strangest ways states tax you and cut you a break—plus a few creative tax dodges—from across the land.

21 Things You Could Buy With $1

These days, it’s hard to stretch a dollar very far, but if you shop wisely, you can still get serious bang for your buck. From the perfect snack for you to one for your cat, they can all be had for $1 or less. Check out these tips!

The 50 Best Things About Life Over 50

You’ve found your style, you’ve witnessed some of the best music ever created, and you can even live in Margaritaville. But for you, the fun has only just begun.

10 Great Places to Retire If You Hate the Cold


Do you dream of retiring your days of freezing winters after exiting the full-time work world? The following retirement destinations offer warm climates that, even in January (the coldest month for much the U.S.), rarely see temperatures drop below freezing. In July, the average high temperatures in these locations range from 80℉ to 102℉.

Spoiler alert: Yes, this list includes places in Florida and Hawaii (where the coldest lows are just 52℉ and 64℉—a midsummer night’s dream in the winter for many). But some of our warm-weather retirement destinations may surprise you. Others you might expect, such as in Arizona and Georgia, can actually get pretty cold in the dead of winter, so they didn’t quite make the cut (but they still offer great places you might consider for your retirement).

Check out the following 10 hot spots for a warm retirement.

28 Things You Should Stop Buying in 2018

One of the biggest challenges in personal finance is figuring out ways to spend less money — and one of the best ways to accomplish that is to cut down on your monthly expenses. Even though some of our regular bills might seem small and insignificant on their own, their cumulative effect can be enormous – and become a huge drain on our resources.

 

Did you know if you cut your spending by $13 a day, you’ll save $400 a month and $4800 a year? Pay attention to the little expenses because they really do add up. This is currently the most popular article on The Budget Diet, and I’ve updated it for December 2017, thanks to all the helpful comments. If you’ve read it before, read it again…a little frugal living refresher won’t hurt.

34 things you need to know about the incoming tax law

It’s official. Congress has ushered through the first major tax overhaul since Ronald Reagan was president.
The measure, which President Trump signed into law on Friday, is about to shake up life for millions of Americans. It will redistribute the country’s wealth. It could sway decisions about whether to buy a home, or where to send kids to school. It could even affect when unhappy couples decide to get a divorce.

As the bill becomes law, here are 34 things you need to know.

This Is How Much Property Taxes Value In All 50 States

Hawaii

Effective Tax Rate: 0.32%

Average Home Value: $784,583

Average Property Tax: $2,489

Highest Average Metro Property Tax: Honolulu, $2,853

Total Single-Family Homes: 263,544

Total Property Taxes: $655,859,737

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