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Post by leonski on Aug 31, 2023 1:40:10 GMT -5
Very true. We were taxed on our total income before social security was withheld, so in effect we've already paid taxes on the social security. Why should we have to pay it again when we receive it back? An argument could be made that the excess of what we get back over what we paid in should be taxed, which would (1) be an accounting nightmare and (2) we've already in substance/essence paid a "tax" to the government by them holding those funds all these years and being able to squander them to the point where SS is really bankrupt without them printing money out of thin air to prop it up. So I don't think SS should be taxed. That is one of the few (maybe only?) advantage of living in California, that they don't tax SS. But then probably a lot of other states don't either. But we don't pay taxes on the equal Employer contributions to Social Security on our behalf which is probably why SS in not taxed as regular income is. At ONE point, Social Security in the form of a 'trust fund' was OFF BUDGET......So the money was neither a plus or minus in budget matters..... BUT? It seems to have cycled back and forth ever since.......And the 'fund' consists primarily of Bonded Debt owed TO the SS Fund.... www.ssa.gov/history/BudgetTreatment.html#:~:text=1%2D%20Social%20Security%20was%20off,for%20all%20purposes%20since%201990. |
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 31, 2023 10:32:57 GMT -5
I’ve reached out to a tax-specialist CPA in town. I’ve used him before (when I had my business) and have found his advice a good value.
Thanks to all who have responded - I knew I’d find lots of good experience to draw from here!
Glenn
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 31, 2023 21:39:01 GMT -5
AMF Amazon -
When my "Prime" membership comes up for renewal, I think I'll let it lapse. Why?
1. Counterfeits - At least a half dozen times (that I know of) Amazon has sent me fake merchandise. Yeah, I can return it, but what about those times I don't recognize items as fakes?
2. Shipping damage - We recently bought a $1,000 air purifier from Amazon, and when it arrived, it was damaged. I contacted the manufacturer's support site, and got no answer other than one implying that unless I bought it from them directly...
3. Wrong order content - I recently ordered a large number of sodas sweetened with Stevia (more than $50 worth), and I received six cans of pop. Mistakes like this are becoming more common.
4. Shipping delays - Sometimes this is the fault of the shipper, but an equal number of times, it's been a delay in Amazon shipping me the Prime items.
My smarter half is profoundly pissed with Amazon and doesn't want me ordering from them again. She's just about convinced me...
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Post by monkumonku on Aug 31, 2023 22:21:54 GMT -5
AMF Amazon - When my "Prime" membership comes up for renewal, I think I'll let it lapse. Why? 1. Counterfeits - At least a half dozen times (that I know of) Amazon has sent me fake merchandise. Yeah, I can return it, but what about those times I don't recognize items as fakes? 2. Shipping damage - We recently bought a $1,000 air purifier from Amazon, and when it arrived, it was damaged. I contacted the manufacturer's support site, and got no answer other than one implying that unless I bought it from them directly... 3. Wrong order content - I recently ordered a large number of sodas sweetened with Stevia (more than $50 worth), and I received six cans of pop. Mistakes like this are becoming more common. 4. Shipping delays - Sometimes this is the fault of the shipper, but an equal number of times, it's been a delay in Amazon shipping me the Prime items. My smarter half is profoundly pissed with Amazon and doesn't want me ordering from them again. She's just about convinced me... If you don't recognize an item as a fake then how would you know it is a fake? I order a great deal of things from Amazon and as far as I know I've never received anything fake. Also, I've always returned a damaged item to Amazon, and never dealt with the manufacturer. Never had any trouble with returns, either. And I've had several instances in which my package was never delivered (could have been stolen, or maybe misdelivered) and I've always been made whole on that either with a refund or replacement. I've also had a few instances of the wrong item, which were rectified. As far as shipping delays, that has happened to me as well but not that often. A couple of times I was counting on something and it got delayed and after I complained about it they gave me a gift card. |
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Post by leonski on Aug 31, 2023 22:23:00 GMT -5
Yep.
Just ONE example, if I may? I wanted NGK sparkplugs for my car. Dealer gets 30$ to 39$ EACH. This is the OEM plug......
Amazon reseller was, at that time in the 10$ to 12$ range. Tempting?
NO. Reviews show high dissastisfaction AND damagd engines. NGK recommends NO ANTI-SEIZE be used since the plug
has a special multi-layer plating. Amazon Plugs were Clearly FAKE......
People with the phony plugs? Well, they lasted 10,000 of an expectied 100,000 miles AND tore out big chunk of head upon removal.
I'm guessing this is totally without recourse.
Local parts store gets real stuff AND maybe 1/2 the dealership price......
And Frankly? Some prices are just not THAT good. I buy Lava Soap. and get other stuff local which does 2 things. Saves on shipping
and other headaches. AND I get what I want while supporting LOCAL business.....
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Post by garbulky on Sept 1, 2023 5:11:05 GMT -5
AMF Amazon - When my "Prime" membership comes up for renewal, I think I'll let it lapse. Why? 1. Counterfeits - At least a half dozen times (that I know of) Amazon has sent me fake merchandise. Yeah, I can return it, but what about those times I don't recognize items as fakes? 2. Shipping damage - We recently bought a $1,000 air purifier from Amazon, and when it arrived, it was damaged. I contacted the manufacturer's support site, and got no answer other than one implying that unless I bought it from them directly... 3. Wrong order content - I recently ordered a large number of sodas sweetened with Stevia (more than $50 worth), and I received six cans of pop. Mistakes like this are becoming more common. 4. Shipping delays - Sometimes this is the fault of the shipper, but an equal number of times, it's been a delay in Amazon shipping me the Prime items. My smarter half is profoundly pissed with Amazon and doesn't want me ordering from them again. She's just about convinced me... Good luck! It's not easy without Prime these days. Without it, everytime I want to order something, I end up paying for shipping or having to to enter my credit card info into more dubiously protected websites. Then comes the spam emails...  |
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KeithL
Administrator 
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Post by KeithL on Sept 1, 2023 8:50:50 GMT -5
My experience agrees with Garbulky's... Unfortunately shipping these days is getting both far more expensive and far less reliable... Likewise, the "trustworthiness" of merchandise seems to be declining... However, sadly, this is true for both online and brick-and-mortar options... Like it or not, while your local store MIGHT have a direct line to the manufacturer for certain items... In many cases the items you purchase from them come from the same online sources as the ones you order from online... (In many cases, although they get a wholesale discount, they're using the same online catalog you are.) And I have also purchased "new" items from brick-and-mortar stores that had problems... I bought a printer from Walmart once... and the user manual had been written in... And, once, I actually had to return a carpet cleaner to Target... when I opened the sealed box, the unit had clearly been USED. (It was still dirty... and this was purchased at a Target STORE.) Stuff like this just happens these days... What you are getting from Amazon is free fast shipping and "hassle free returns"... For example I have NEVER had Amazon refuse to replace something damaged in shipping, promptly, and at their expense... ---------------------------- I bought a $1200 TV through Amazon several years ago. When it arrived damaged they had a replacement on my porch within two days (they then later picked up the broken one at their expense). I would be very surprised if Amazon refused to simply take back that air purifier that arrived damaged. (Although I will admit that I would generally be inclined to give the manufacturer an opportunity to "make good" on it first...) As for fake merchandise... Amazon is both a "reseller" and "a marketplace"... If you purchase merchandise "shipped by Amazon" then they are at least temporarily in possession of what you bought. Unfortunately counterfeit merchandise is a problem at every level these days - including at the distributor level. And, assuming they received the product from their distributor, or the supplier, they are NOT going to open it and look inside (and might not be able to identify a fake if they did). So, sadly, this could happen even if you purchase something from a brick-and-mortar store. And, of course, if you purchase merchandise from "the Amazon marketplace", then they may not even ever see the merchandise you purchased. What you are getting from Amazon is the option of returning the merchandise if you have a problem with it... And, of course, what you are getting with Amazon prime is FREE FAST SHIPPING. (And, if you want to know what that's worth, just check the current UPS or FedEx rates.) I would add that there ARE many other reputable places that DO offer free shipping... For example Chewy's for pet food... and Wayfair for furniture and rugs and such... And sometimes other places offer better deals... And, yes, you WILL get junk mail from them afterwards... And, yes, they're going to require you to give them a credit card number... But, quite often, Amazon really is the best option... AMF Amazon - When my "Prime" membership comes up for renewal, I think I'll let it lapse. Why? 1. Counterfeits - At least a half dozen times (that I know of) Amazon has sent me fake merchandise. Yeah, I can return it, but what about those times I don't recognize items as fakes? 2. Shipping damage - We recently bought a $1,000 air purifier from Amazon, and when it arrived, it was damaged. I contacted the manufacturer's support site, and got no answer other than one implying that unless I bought it from them directly... 3. Wrong order content - I recently ordered a large number of sodas sweetened with Stevia (more than $50 worth), and I received six cans of pop. Mistakes like this are becoming more common. 4. Shipping delays - Sometimes this is the fault of the shipper, but an equal number of times, it's been a delay in Amazon shipping me the Prime items. My smarter half is profoundly pissed with Amazon and doesn't want me ordering from them again. She's just about convinced me... Good luck! It's not easy without Prime these days. Without it, everytime I want to order something, I end up paying for shipping or having to to enter my credit card info into more dubiously protected websites. Then comes the spam emails... |
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Post by monkumonku on Sept 1, 2023 10:51:28 GMT -5
WHY I HAVE RESIGNED AS AN AUDIO REVIEWER: Over the past two years, I have noticed a decline in my high-frequency hearing acuity. I've been HIGHLY fortunate up to this point in my life that my audiograms have shown little significant hearing loss with advancing age. But presbyacusis (age-related hearing loss with genetic influencers) comes to all of us sooner or later. Apparently, my time has come. I really can't complain - I've had excellent hearing up to this point in my life, and I've really enjoyed being an audio reviewer - an option that very few ever get to experience. But it isn't fair to manufacturers for a person with declining hearing to be reviewing their products. For that reason, I've tendered my resignation to the Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity website. As an aside, I recently read in "The Absolute Sound" magazine that the majority of their reviewers are almost as old as I am (70), and I can't help but wonder how many of their writers are also affected with declining high-frequency hearing? I notice that none of THEM has resigned their reviewer status, which brings into question how accurate their reviews are. I also note that their reviewers seem to be assigned the privilege of reviewing the most expensive items on the basis of seniority. Really? In any case, my latest audiogram is attached. I see that my suspicions of declining high-frequency hearing are confirmed by the measurements. Some of this can be compensated for with DSP, but it still won't be exact. Although I'm not yet in "need a hearing aid" country, I'm not too far away. So for those of you who have enjoyed my audio reviews over the years, thank you so much for your support and feedback. For those of you who have cringed at my reviews, be happy - you won't have to hear from me any more! I'm also so happy that I knew that it was time to hang up the "audio reviewer hat" without someone having to point it out to me. ...never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. View AttachmentThe below-linked article from today's Copper Magazine reminded me of your post, as this guy is also a professional reviewer who discovered his hearing is compromised. He writes about his experience and the dilemma of continuing to review gear. www.psaudio.com/blogs/copper/frankie-goes-to-hearing-aids-staving-off-retirement-part-one |
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hemster
Global Moderator
Particle Manufacturer
...still listening... still watching
Posts: 51,951
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Post by hemster on Sept 1, 2023 12:13:14 GMT -5
AMF Amazon - When my "Prime" membership comes up for renewal, I think I'll let it lapse. Why? 1. Counterfeits - At least a half dozen times (that I know of) Amazon has sent me fake merchandise. Yeah, I can return it, but what about those times I don't recognize items as fakes? 2. Shipping damage - We recently bought a $1,000 air purifier from Amazon, and when it arrived, it was damaged. I contacted the manufacturer's support site, and got no answer other than one implying that unless I bought it from them directly... 3. Wrong order content - I recently ordered a large number of sodas sweetened with Stevia (more than $50 worth), and I received six cans of pop. Mistakes like this are becoming more common. 4. Shipping delays - Sometimes this is the fault of the shipper, but an equal number of times, it's been a delay in Amazon shipping me the Prime items. My smarter half is profoundly pissed with Amazon and doesn't want me ordering from them again. She's just about convinced me... Good luck! It's not easy without Prime these days. Without it, everytime I want to order something, I end up paying for shipping or having to to enter my credit card info into more dubiously protected websites. Then comes the spam emails... Upon balance, I decided to renew mine because of these reasons. Shipping has gotten expensive and Prime is an advantage there (depending on how frequently one buys). Another benefit is the quick and easy returns which I have had to use as the merchandise was not as advertized (conterfeit perhaps). Edit: Keith basically said what I wantd to say. I didn't see his post before posting mine. |
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Post by leonski on Sept 1, 2023 14:25:01 GMT -5
Here's an example of WHY to buy local.
SHOES!
I don't know about anyone who may read this, but MY foot is awful.....Wide? High Instep? And typical for Americans, a sort of narrow heel......
No Way to simply 'order a shoe'. Do they run large or small to whatever I think my size is? And is their idea of 'wide' what my FOOT'S idea is? And general Fit?
Nope. I'll continue to buy local.
Even most car parts. My ONE exception was dealing with a very reputable ONLINE car parts dealer. I needed a Cat Convertorl (CARB APPROVED) and O2 sensors for my car.
Dealer cost for the works, out the door and installed was nearly 4000$ A Bad Joke, right? I did it for <1/4th that and it passed smog about a month later. I did buy some gaskets
and special heat-proof hardware at the local NAPA. While I was getting my stuff? A young lady came in and needed much the same stuff I did.......Her Cat had been stolen and the
dealer was OUT OF STODK due to rash of thefts. Rat Bastards.
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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 1, 2023 15:21:13 GMT -5
If you don't recognize an item as a fake then how would you know it is a fake? I order a great deal of things from Amazon and as far as I know I've never received anything fake. Also, I've always returned a damaged item to Amazon, and never dealt with the manufacturer. Never had any trouble with returns, either. And I've had several instances in which my package was never delivered (could have been stolen, or maybe misdelivered) and I've always been made whole on that either with a refund or replacement. I've also had a few instances of the wrong item, which were rectified. As far as shipping delays, that has happened to me as well but not that often. A couple of times I was counting on something and it got delayed and after I complained about it they gave me a gift card. Two counterfeit items I recall off the top of my head: 1. KF94 Korean face masks - The government certifications were misspelled 2. Oneida flatware - We had two place settings & then ordered a full set from Amazon. The Amazon set looked superficially like the real Oneida ones, but about a month later we happened to notice that the Amazon set wasn't as thick as the real Oneida. Yes, Amazon has replaced everything I've asked to return without complaint also - but the incidence of fakes has been increasing over the past year or two, and the trouble of having to verify the authenticity of every Amazon purchase has become HIGHLY irritating to my wife. |
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,273
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Post by KeithL on Sept 1, 2023 16:37:22 GMT -5
I kind of remember the situation with N95, and KN95, and KN94 masks back when the US certified ones were only being sold to medical personnel. To be quite honest, back when face masks were hard to get, EVERYONE had good ones and bad ones. There were flat out fakes... and knockoffs that were perfectly fine but had phony certs... and even real ones, not intended for shipment to the US, that had bad packaging. So, unless you were dealing directly with one of the certified US manufacturers, who wouldn't sell to private individuals, Amazon was about as reliable as anyone else. Also, to be quite blunt, even a mask will all the proper markings could still be fake, and a "bootleg" mask, made by a good manufacturer, could be just as good as a "real" one. (My point is that it would have been totally unreasonable to expect Amazon to be able to effectively police the situation at the time.) ref: www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/12-signs-you-have-a-fake-n95-kn95-or-kf94-mask/I also ran across an interesting "claim" about Oneida silverware sold on Amazon (from a seller): I believe this customer may be confusing the newer/current production 18/0 post 2005 production pieces with being "counterfeit", which they are not. As correctly noted, this was never counterfeited, as it would not be financially feasible to do so. In the Oneida Wordsworth pattern, pieces produced prior to 2005 were produced in 18/8 Stainless in the US. Pieces produced after 2005, were produced in 18/0 stainless overseas. Both are genuine product and not counterfeit. Current production of this pattern is made of 18/0 stainless and this set would be the current production pieces, as required by Amazon. While I cannot vouch for the veracity of this claim specifically I am inclined to agree that stainless steel flatware is probably NOT worth counterfeiting. Forming and stamping stainless steel flatware requires some serious production equipment... And it simply doesn't sell for very much... (And so this claim makes sense.) If you don't recognize an item as a fake then how would you know it is a fake? I order a great deal of things from Amazon and as far as I know I've never received anything fake. Also, I've always returned a damaged item to Amazon, and never dealt with the manufacturer. Never had any trouble with returns, either. And I've had several instances in which my package was never delivered (could have been stolen, or maybe misdelivered) and I've always been made whole on that either with a refund or replacement. I've also had a few instances of the wrong item, which were rectified. As far as shipping delays, that has happened to me as well but not that often. A couple of times I was counting on something and it got delayed and after I complained about it they gave me a gift card. Two counterfeit items I recall off the top of my head: 1. KF94 Korean face masks - The government certifications were misspelled 2. Oneida flatware - We had two place settings & then ordered a full set from Amazon. The Amazon set looked superficially like the real Oneida ones, but about a month later we happened to notice that the Amazon set wasn't as thick as the real Oneida. Yes, Amazon has replaced everything I've asked to return without complaint also - but the incidence of fakes has been increasing over the past year or two, and the trouble of having to verify the authenticity of every Amazon purchase has become HIGHLY irritating to my wife. |
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Post by monkumonku on Sept 1, 2023 17:17:15 GMT -5
If you don't recognize an item as a fake then how would you know it is a fake? I order a great deal of things from Amazon and as far as I know I've never received anything fake. Also, I've always returned a damaged item to Amazon, and never dealt with the manufacturer. Never had any trouble with returns, either. And I've had several instances in which my package was never delivered (could have been stolen, or maybe misdelivered) and I've always been made whole on that either with a refund or replacement. I've also had a few instances of the wrong item, which were rectified. As far as shipping delays, that has happened to me as well but not that often. A couple of times I was counting on something and it got delayed and after I complained about it they gave me a gift card. Two counterfeit items I recall off the top of my head: 1. KF94 Korean face masks - The government certifications were misspelled 2. Oneida flatware - We had two place settings & then ordered a full set from Amazon. The Amazon set looked superficially like the real Oneida ones, but about a month later we happened to notice that the Amazon set wasn't as thick as the real Oneida. Yes, Amazon has replaced everything I've asked to return without complaint also - but the incidence of fakes has been increasing over the past year or two, and the trouble of having to verify the authenticity of every Amazon purchase has become HIGHLY irritating to my wife. Just curious - the counterfeit stuff, was it actually sold and stocked by Amazon, or was it from 3rd party merchants who list it on Amazon? I notice Amazon has a significant number of brands that have really weird names now. |
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Post by leonski on Sept 2, 2023 14:40:39 GMT -5
Speaking as someone interesting in metals?
18-8 stainless is better than either 18-10 or 18-0. In all cases the '18' is Chromium percentage while the 2nd digits represent NICKEL......More is better in this case.
It is also cheaper and probably easier to fabricated. Nickel / Chrome alloys are tough.....
If I wanted Oneida? I'd go to a store specializing in estate goods or maybe a hock shop.
By that method? I could get one of the Classic Gillette Double Edge razors.......Some are really about the best available at any price.....with the exception of the
Feather Stainless type.....
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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 2, 2023 15:01:35 GMT -5
Just curious - the counterfeit stuff, was it actually sold and stocked by Amazon, or was it from 3rd party merchants who list it on Amazon? I notice Amazon has a significant number of brands that have really weird names now. Don't recall... |
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Post by novisnick on Sept 4, 2023 12:02:33 GMT -5
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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 10, 2023 13:04:56 GMT -5
Maybe I'm just getting to be more cranky in my old age, but...
We're trying to cash savings bonds issued decades ago to my wife. The bonds are marked bearable to:
Her father
OR
Her mother
OR
My wife
We did the paperwork, had my wife sign with notarization, and sent it in to the Treasury. They sent it back saying they also needed certified death certificates for my wife's mother and father! Apparently. the U.S. Treasury doesn't understand the meaning of the word "or."
I could fight them on it, but it's easier to just get the death certificates and try again. Oh well...
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Post by Zombie on Sept 10, 2023 13:18:18 GMT -5
I cashed mine in last year. I just had my bank (Chase) handle everything. It was very easy.
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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 10, 2023 14:00:10 GMT -5
Banks are allowed to cash bonds up to $1,000. At or above that, you have to deal with the Treasury directly.
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Post by Zombie on Sept 10, 2023 19:23:46 GMT -5
Hmmmm, I didn’t have to do that. My total cash in value was around 12k. Maybe things have changed since but I doubt it. Now, I did break it up into two different transactions just because I didn’t want the manager to be completely overwhelmed. The bank just did all the necessary paperwork and the gov sent me the checks. Basically I guess they dealt with the Treasury directly themselves.
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