Tag Archives: senate spot

Undermining the EPA is wrong.
Sign the petition to save the bay today!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Supporting Millennial Entrepreneurs

01/07/2015 Nativegrl77

Regional Administrator Calvin Goings

Supporting Millennial Entrepreneurs

Millennials, born between 1980 and the mid-2000s, are the largest generation in the United States, representing one-third of the total U.S. population in 2013. Millennials are a technologically connected and diverse generation. Their unprecedented enthusiasm for technology has the potential to spark change in traditional economic institutions and the labor market.

The priority that millennials place on creativity and innovation make them an important economic engine for the U.S. economy. Millennials were born to be entrepreneurs.

In Region 10 we’re making millennial entrepreneurship interest a reality. With the help of Small Business Development Center (SBDC) counseling, millennial entrepreneur Nathan Graham Sleadd, was able to jumpstart his business, Sleaddadventures, LLC. Starting with annual sales of $100,000 in 2008, Sleaddadventures employs 7 full-time and 2 part-time employees and generates over $300,000 of payroll that cycles through the local economy.

Research shows that more than half of millennials are interested in starting their own business. That’s why the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), recently announced the My Brother’s Keeper initiative for millennial entrepreneurs. It’s a new federal outreach and education campaign to help America’s millennials become what SBA calls “enterprise-ready”.

The My Brother’s Keeper initiative was launched to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by young people of color. The President’s new economic opportunity agenda for millennials creates new policies to support this generation, to ensure that all young people can overcome challenges and achieve their potential.

At the SBA, our message to millennials is clear. It’s a message of inclusion and possibility to help jumpstart their small business potential, wherever their talents and interests lie. Overall, we want to help millennials start, grow, and succeed as small business owners.

Entrepreneurship can be the answer if your question is “What’s next for me?” If you’re a potential millennial entrepreneur or know someone who is, visit www.sba.gov/young to learn more.

I hope you have found this information useful. Please feel free to forward this to your friends and colleagues. If you have comments or questions for me, please contact Connie Marshall in my office at connie.marshall@sba.gov. To visit our regional website click this link.
Sincerely,
Calvin
CALVIN W. GOINGS

U.S. Small Business Administration

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

How some seniors are losing 15% of their Social Security

01/03/2015 Nativegrl77

We all know student debt is out of control. What you may not know is just how bad it’s gotten:

The government is garnishing senior citizens’ Social Security checks to claw back education loans they co-signed for their children or grandchildren. Seniors are losing up to 15% of their earned benefits each month.

There are no exceptions. Neither the borrower nor the co-signer can have student debt absolved in bankruptcy court.

Campaign for America’s Future is in this fight and we want you to join us. This is no longer an issue simply for young people. There is over a trillion dollars in outstanding student debt.

We’re joining the fight with Senator Elizabeth Warren to allow all student loans to be refinanced at today’s lower rates.

Can you support our campaign to fix our broken student loan system with a donation?

We’ll be reaching out to lawmakers and the media, and keeping the pressure on.

But that’s only a first step. Social Security checks should be off limits. Steps must be taken to control costs, especially at online and for-profit colleges.

When a young person opens his or her college acceptance letter, it should be a moment of joy and celebration, not anxiety.

Can you help with a donation to our fight to reform this broken system?

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Social Security Admin

01/03/2015 Nativegrl77

The Social Security Administration has lost its mind.

They’re about to close dozens of field offices. But don’t worry, they say. Seniors will use their smartphones or laptops if they need help.

The SSA may think they’ve got a great money saving idea, but this could be disaster for seniors with vision problems or arthritis, or those who can’t afford a computer.

Social Security is a great system, but it’s often complex. While many seniors are expert computer users, others will struggle.

Our parents and grandparents deserve to have a human face to guide them. They’ve done too much for us to be abandoned now.

Please sign our petition demanding the the Senate pass S.2742, which would require any future office closures to go through a public review period to ensure that local communities can stand up for their field offices.

It’s the least we can do.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Figuring the tax bill on Social Security benefits

01/03/2015 Nativegrl77

By Kimberly Lankford December 9, 2014 1:39 PM

Will my Social Security benefits be taxable?

It depends on your income. The taxation of Social Security benefits is based on your “combined income,” which is your adjusted gross income (the bottom of page 1 of your Form 1040) plus tax-exempt interest and 50% of your Social Security benefits.

Your benefits are tax-free if your combined income is less than $25,000 if you are single or $32,000 if you file a joint return. Above that level, up to half of your benefits are taxable if your combined income is up to $34,000 on a single return or $44,000 on a joint return. And as much as 85% of your Social Security benefits are taxable if your combined income is more than $34,000 on a single return or $44,000 on a joint return. See Income Taxes and Your Social Security Benefits for details.

Be careful about moves you make that could boost your income and increase your Social Security taxes, such as converting a traditional IRA to a Roth after you start receiving Social Security benefits. Instead of making a big conversion in one year, you may want to spread out your conversions over several years if that helps you stay below the cutoff for paying taxes on your benefits. Also, reducing the amount of money subject to required minimum distributions after you turn 70½ can help you stay below the income cutoff for paying taxes on Social Security benefits. For example, Roths aren’t subject to RMDs, so the more money you convert from traditional IRAs to Roths through the years, the less money that will be subject to required minimum distributions.

For more information about Social Security, see Best Strategies to Boost Your Social Security Benefits.