September 5, 2010

Yes, I Am Still Here...

Hello again everyone... I hope that your school year has started off well, and I know that everyone is happy to have a bit cooler temps, the start of football season, and your schedule back to "normal."

I obviously have taken some time off over the past few months, but I did not go away. I want to thank those that emailed and "checked" on me to see if I was fine. My favorite email came from a subscriber that was worried that I had passed away... She was very happy when I responded. I did get a chuckle though.

I have had a number of emails about the various happenings with the stock market, TRS, WEP/GPO, and more. I responded to all of them within a very short period of time, but I chose not to post a blog.

Over the next month, I will be doing some research on various topics, and if there is something you would like for me to cover for you, by all means please email me (rschultz@rollinsfinancial.com).

By the way, one item that was brought up in a recent email was the $250 deduction for "eligible educators" for qualified expenses. This item was originally passed in 2006 and expired in 2007. It was extended late in December 2008 to cover tax years 2008 and 2009, and it has expired again. While it is not a "done deal," I would imagine that it will be extended again when Congress and President Obama make the now annual changes to the AMT tax. While this is by no means a guarantee, it is hard to imagine a Congress and President not extending this benefit to educators.

I wish all of you well, and thanks for all of the emails.