Why don't you come spend some time with us in Oakland for a while and see how many gunned down children were actually trying to buy crack.
Well, isn't Oakland pretty much one big, city-wide ghetto at this point? A few cities are like that (Detroit comes to mind too)...where the whole city itself is something pretty much to be abandoned by all but the criminal element.
In normal cities...I still stand by my statements. Oakland and Detroit are exceptions to the rule it seems.
However, as you say, within those large cities, there's even more of a skew than that - there will be ghetto/project spikes, and more spacious suburbia might be relatively low.
I mean, I live in New Orleans...one of the cities with the highest crime rates in the US....and yet, even here..if you're not buying crack in the projects, or looking to find gang members while cruising through 'the hood'....you're not likely to be affected by guns or violence down here. I don't hear gun fire at nights where I live.....I get the feeling that people outside the US have this idea that it is the 'wild west' in the streets here with contant gun fire anywhere you turn, and that simply is not the case.
Sure it spills out from time to time, but in general, I don't feel unsafe in this city, you just know to stay out of certain areas.
Now knock the US for their rampant gun crime all you like...
What rampant gun crime are you talking about?? Aside from the recent lunatic rampages like the movie theater guy....your average person in the US isn't ever going to see or experience gun crime. You don't hear them being fired off constantly on the streets like I imagine many in the EU seem to think.
Unless you are in the projects trying to buy some crack, you likely will never see much less hear a gun go off here in the city limits.
When you hear of gun crime, it is mostly thug on thug....criminals shooting each other over drugs, and who cares if they take each other out, eh?
Maybe dress up in your best black ninja gear...out of a car parked out of range...and use some nice, super high powered hand held lasers, and burn out the CCD's on the cameras...?
Not that I've given any thought to this in the past...or.....anything....
Incorporating costs virtually nothing, and you can benefit from it immediately. Hell, I wrote off nothing but expenses for the first 3-4 years with virtually NO income coming in....
You don't have to worry much about the paper work till serious money starts coming in.
I disagree. And if you're in IT and consulting full time, you're bill rate should be WELL over $50K / yr.....if you're doing anything full time, worth while, and are good, you're going to be looking at over 6 figures.
And that paperwork isn't that bad....again, have a CPA to help/do it for you.
To each his own, but anyone I've worked with in IT contracting....they found the "S" corp is the best way, and it keeps you from being doubled taxed like a regular C corp does...ESPECIALLY if you are a one man operation. The S corp. allows it to come through on your personal taxes.
Be honest. Whether corporations are good or bad, people were running businesses way before limited liability was put in place.
Yes, but this is today...and you need to play things smart within the current system that exists!!
My advice....incorporate yourself immediately!!
First, as other mention, it limits liability for damage and creditors taking your personal possessions.
Second, this is about the ONLY way to keep more of your hard earned tax dollars. YOU can begin to write off all expenses, mileage (keep a logbook in your car to write odometer settings, easy documentation).
Also, and I'd recommend this...look into setting up a subchapter "S" corp. This will allow you to keep more of your money from being sucked up into SS and medicare taxes (employment taxation).
Get a CPA...to make sure you file correctly and on time. You figure out what you bill for the year, and out of that pay yourself (according to the IRS) a 'reasonable' salary. Out of that portion, you pay employment taxes...the rest falls through to personal income at EOY, and you only have to pay state/federal taxes on that.
Example...say you bill $100K a year. You could pay yourself a reasonable salary of $40K. So, you will have to pay SS and medicare on that $40K....along with state and federal (taken out of payroll like normal). But at EOY, you only have to pay state and federal on the remaining $60K. This can be significant.
Also, look into setting up a HSA (Health Savings Account) for yourself....and load it up pre-tax for routine medical spending. You can qualify to get one of these by signing up for a higher deductible insurance policy...for catastrophic only needs (used to be termed Major Medical).
Get with a bank and they will help you set up the HSA...this is not a use it or lose it...it grows annually, and if you want you can also invest some or all of this fund to make money for you. If it remains when you retire, you can convert this money to retirement funds. I found this was a great tool, and frankly, I wish the feds would promote this rather than try more and more to hinder it as it was done some with the recent Obama care bill.
That aside....yes, it is extra paper work, but once you get into the swing of it, not that difficult, when you start to see the $$ saving abilities it gives you. You do NOT have to cheat....this is legal, and available to you.
Get a CPA to work with (their fees are deductible too)...keep it legal and reasonable. Also, I'd recommend getting a copy of Quickbooks. This makes it easy to track your billing, income, outgo.....and at EOY, you can send it to your CPA to make it fairly quick and painless. If a good CPA that handles small businesses...they can help put you in contact with people in case you need liability insurance...one of my contract required I have this and I was put in touch with people that got me the min of what I needed and helped me do just enough to get set up and working.
I paid a lawyer about $250 years back and gave them a name. In 2 weeks, I had all the registrations and all I needed with the state and was a registered business. You can do it yourself....different difficulties in different states. Heck, look into the incorporating in Delaware like others do...not sure the exact benefits doing it there...but there are some.
Put a little thought and research into the start of it...and once you learn a few steps (quarterly filings with feds and state if over a certain amount for salary paid)...it becomes second nature.
It is a PITA that the govt does require so many hoops to jump through...yet they claim to want to make it easier on small businesses (large corps pay whole departments to do this fiscal stuff and permits, etc), but it can be done by the individual. And in the end, it is worth. it.
If for nothing else...to keep as much of your hard earned money as you can for yourself. It is worth it.
Probably the same type thing that causes homosexuality, beastiality, sado-masochism, assorted fetishes or any other sexual compulsion that is different from the "norm".
. Then all the nicer guys who see a woman as more than a vagina would in high demand.
You'd still be out of luck...women generally don't go for the "nice guy" types. If you come in a too nice of a guy, you end up in the friend zone, and you're not gonna get laid.
If a merchant has a business bank account, then they pay whenever they make a deposit, and a withdrawl.
Not sure where you get that idea. I have a business account with the bank, and I don't pay for any type of deposits (cash or check), nor do I get charged a fee for withdrawals of either.....
If they put their efforts into perfecting "fuckbots"....where you could custom order basically and android woman....VERY realistic, would obey you, could be upgraded without you losing half your fiscal worth, and not talk back to you...etc, they'd be the richest company in the world.
Of course, the world would soon be absent of humans, since men would ditch chicks...since they'd have the fun and none of the crap you have to put up from them with.....
Dude, you really need to get out a little more. There are tons of reasons to work other than money. Ask any artist, musician or writer, for example. Heck, most of what I do, I do for the joy of it. I used to make more than twice what I do today, but realised that all I was doing was making rich people richer. Now, I just try to make myself useful [pacificpolicy.org].
I work to make lots of money, so I can easily feed my fun...I can buy guitars as I wish, and amps and processors..etc. I buy cameras and software so I can post process stills and videos...I set up servers at home to do fun things. I like to date different women...I like to dine at fine restaurants (I don't do junk food), I like to cook at home and buy gadgets as I want them....a vitamin, sausage grinder..etc.
My fun, art and asst. hobbies...take money. I work so I can do the fun things.
If I won the lottery...I'd not have to work anymore, and could do things I like with ALL my time.
Now..tell me again...why do I work, unless I have to to earn money to fund the things that mean things to me in life?
Oh please. The Cold War had the potential to destroy human life on this planet. Islamic fundamentalists killed 3000 people with one extremely lucky attack 10 years ago, and a handful here and there ever since.
You ever stop to think they haven't done worse because they haven't gotten their grimy little hands on something like a nuke, which would do more damage?
Whereas in the cold war, MAD kept both sides from firing....there is no such threat that would keep these Islamic Fundies from lobbing one at us and/or one of our western allies. Hell, retaliation to them would only mean the fucking 72 virgins would come to them even quicker....
I'm looking to get into HDR photography...and maybe even later videography.
I've recently picked up a Canon 5D3....and I'm currently playing with that and an open source HDR application Luminance.
Pretty cool stuff.....but just get a camera that will bracket exposure shots for you, and then put them together with something like Luminance, GIMP, Photoshop....etc.
I'm just starting to play with stills for now, but looking to see how to do it with video later....this isn't just for arc welding.
I used to believe that, too. Whenever somebody couldn't find a job no matter how hard they looked, I just said it was because they weren't head and shoulders above everyone else in the field. Then, when it happened to me, I changed my tune. I realized that just because you are really good at something and even if your last employer fought to the last tooth to keep you as long as possible, doesn't mean that you are employable, at least not in a down economy. In a down economy, a company would rather hire cheap below average performers than a guy who is expensive but could blow the roomful cheap guys out of the water in terms of performance.
Are you willing to look for employment outside your city? State?
Have you thought about incorporating yourself, and get some headhunters to look for you some contract gigs?
Just curious, as that some people I've known that said the same things you have...are limiting themselves to only looking for a 9-5 job close to home...these days, you have to be willing to seek out the jobs where they are. You might have to commute. Move...people have done that in the past....
Look into contracting..and working remotely. Many places are doing that....
Not pointing the finger at you...but just curious what all avenues you've pursued in gaining employment. Recently I was looking to hire.....had a hell of a time finding someone....
I've never worked an 80 hour week, not once, I wouldn't even touch an employer who expected such a thing and you're an idiot if you do. If you do, then that also makes you the reason you have to work an 80 hour week - because you're actually letting companies get away with such absurdity. If you don't like it then walk, go get a job elsewhere, can't get a job elsewhere? skill up, improve yourself, then go get a job elsewhere. The only thing stopping you working somewhere that doesn't expect you to work an 80 hour week is you.
I could not have put it better!!
Stand up for yourself. Learn to negotiate the terms of your employment right up front...I insist that I get paid for every hour I work. Whether it is a W2 or 1099 gig.
Sure...if it is crunch time, and I'm needed for long, over and above hours, I'll be there as long as needed. I will, however, be paid for every hour. That makes them think twice about if they really need this work or not.
Sure, you have to put up with this shit starting off on entry level....but, once you have honed your skills, and have resume experience (and you are, in fact, good) then hop that job and get a better deal on the next one.
You aren't going to have a job for life, fact that fact early. You could almost constantly be looking for better opportunities. Make sure and do interviews at least 1-2 times a year, to keep in practice for when you might really need that next job.
The best time to look for a new job...is when you have one. And especially when young, if you want to start boosting your income and work deals, you could be job hopping every 3-4 years.
You certainly aren't gonna get those kinds of income raises with 1% a year raises and the occasional "name only" promotions staying at one company for decades.
...and who exactly these days, needs a managed pension?!?!
Look, if you're good enough...take control of your own destiny. If you're a good worker, and are well rounded (read, develop some fucking people skills along the way)....take charge of your own destiny.
Incorporate yourself, and contract yourself out. Be the small businessman. Negotiate your own rates, include in that rate for time off...sick leave...sock money away in a HSA pre-tax (not use it or lose it), get a CPA to work with you to help keep your taxes low, and invest in IRA's or 401K...etc.
Sure, it is a bit more paperwork, but the pay off is:
You don't have to 'earn vacation hours'...take them as you need, you budgeted for that time off in your bill rate, rememter?
You can write off tons of expenses. Mileage to/from site (keep a simple log book in your car, write down odometer readings, that's your documentation). If you've researched it...maybe file as a subchapter "S" corp...this way, you can avoid having to pay all of your billing to employment taxes...you can save a LOT of SS and Medicare taxation that way.
It doesn't have to be hit or miss either with small jobs....work your way into a Govt. contract, which can be VERY long term.
If remote work is allowed...work from ANYWHERE....it isn't bad doing a little work from the beach in FL on a nice day.
Look, the days of a "job for life" are long, long, long gone. There are jobs out there, especially if you are good. Take charge of your own destiny....get out there and make a good living.
It is true, that employers have no loyalty to you. If you're gonna have the job security of a contractor, you might as well get the bill rate to go with it, eh?
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Well, isn't Oakland pretty much one big, city-wide ghetto at this point? A few cities are like that (Detroit comes to mind too)...where the whole city itself is something pretty much to be abandoned by all but the criminal element.
In normal cities...I still stand by my statements. Oakland and Detroit are exceptions to the rule it seems.
I mean, I live in New Orleans...one of the cities with the highest crime rates in the US....and yet, even here..if you're not buying crack in the projects, or looking to find gang members while cruising through 'the hood'....you're not likely to be affected by guns or violence down here. I don't hear gun fire at nights where I live.....I get the feeling that people outside the US have this idea that it is the 'wild west' in the streets here with contant gun fire anywhere you turn, and that simply is not the case.
Sure it spills out from time to time, but in general, I don't feel unsafe in this city, you just know to stay out of certain areas.
It is mostly thugs killing thugs here...
What rampant gun crime are you talking about?? Aside from the recent lunatic rampages like the movie theater guy....your average person in the US isn't ever going to see or experience gun crime. You don't hear them being fired off constantly on the streets like I imagine many in the EU seem to think.
Unless you are in the projects trying to buy some crack, you likely will never see much less hear a gun go off here in the city limits.
When you hear of gun crime, it is mostly thug on thug....criminals shooting each other over drugs, and who cares if they take each other out, eh?
[rolls eyes]...Really......?
Do you really think that if they found one way that actually worked to defeat the speed cameras, that they would show that on Mythbusters??
I kinda doubt it...
Not that I've given any thought to this in the past...or.....anything....
Incorporating costs virtually nothing, and you can benefit from it immediately. Hell, I wrote off nothing but expenses for the first 3-4 years with virtually NO income coming in....
You don't have to worry much about the paper work till serious money starts coming in.
And that paperwork isn't that bad....again, have a CPA to help/do it for you.
To each his own, but anyone I've worked with in IT contracting....they found the "S" corp is the best way, and it keeps you from being doubled taxed like a regular C corp does...ESPECIALLY if you are a one man operation. The S corp. allows it to come through on your personal taxes.
Yes, but this is today...and you need to play things smart within the current system that exists!!
My advice....incorporate yourself immediately!!
First, as other mention, it limits liability for damage and creditors taking your personal possessions.
Second, this is about the ONLY way to keep more of your hard earned tax dollars. YOU can begin to write off all expenses, mileage (keep a logbook in your car to write odometer settings, easy documentation).
Also, and I'd recommend this...look into setting up a subchapter "S" corp. This will allow you to keep more of your money from being sucked up into SS and medicare taxes (employment taxation).
Get a CPA...to make sure you file correctly and on time. You figure out what you bill for the year, and out of that pay yourself (according to the IRS) a 'reasonable' salary. Out of that portion, you pay employment taxes...the rest falls through to personal income at EOY, and you only have to pay state/federal taxes on that.
Example...say you bill $100K a year. You could pay yourself a reasonable salary of $40K. So, you will have to pay SS and medicare on that $40K....along with state and federal (taken out of payroll like normal). But at EOY, you only have to pay state and federal on the remaining $60K. This can be significant.
Also, look into setting up a HSA (Health Savings Account) for yourself....and load it up pre-tax for routine medical spending. You can qualify to get one of these by signing up for a higher deductible insurance policy...for catastrophic only needs (used to be termed Major Medical).
Get with a bank and they will help you set up the HSA...this is not a use it or lose it...it grows annually, and if you want you can also invest some or all of this fund to make money for you. If it remains when you retire, you can convert this money to retirement funds. I found this was a great tool, and frankly, I wish the feds would promote this rather than try more and more to hinder it as it was done some with the recent Obama care bill.
That aside....yes, it is extra paper work, but once you get into the swing of it, not that difficult, when you start to see the $$ saving abilities it gives you. You do NOT have to cheat....this is legal, and available to you.
Get a CPA to work with (their fees are deductible too)...keep it legal and reasonable. Also, I'd recommend getting a copy of Quickbooks. This makes it easy to track your billing, income, outgo.....and at EOY, you can send it to your CPA to make it fairly quick and painless. If a good CPA that handles small businesses...they can help put you in contact with people in case you need liability insurance...one of my contract required I have this and I was put in touch with people that got me the min of what I needed and helped me do just enough to get set up and working.
I paid a lawyer about $250 years back and gave them a name. In 2 weeks, I had all the registrations and all I needed with the state and was a registered business. You can do it yourself....different difficulties in different states. Heck, look into the incorporating in Delaware like others do...not sure the exact benefits doing it there...but there are some.
Put a little thought and research into the start of it...and once you learn a few steps (quarterly filings with feds and state if over a certain amount for salary paid)...it becomes second nature.
It is a PITA that the govt does require so many hoops to jump through...yet they claim to want to make it easier on small businesses (large corps pay whole departments to do this fiscal stuff and permits, etc), but it can be done by the individual. And in the end, it is worth. it.
If for nothing else...to keep as much of your hard earned money as you can for yourself. It is worth it.
Probably the same type thing that causes homosexuality, beastiality, sado-masochism, assorted fetishes or any other sexual compulsion that is different from the "norm".
You'd still be out of luck...women generally don't go for the "nice guy" types. If you come in a too nice of a guy, you end up in the friend zone, and you're not gonna get laid.
Not sure where you get that idea. I have a business account with the bank, and I don't pay for any type of deposits (cash or check), nor do I get charged a fee for withdrawals of either.....
Wow...where do you live where you're seen a cash register that scans money put in or taken out of it???
I've only seen the conventional kind with a human teller as the go between myself and my money to the till, which I've not ever seen scan money...??
Guessing it has something to do with a credit card type thing?
Does cash not work over there anymore?
Of course, the world would soon be absent of humans, since men would ditch chicks...since they'd have the fun and none of the crap you have to put up from them with.....
Can someone ask if Romney goes along with this overreach by govt too?
Sadly...I'm pretty sure I can guess the answer.
Hmm.....sounds to me like yet another reason not to join Facebook.....
I work to make lots of money, so I can easily feed my fun...I can buy guitars as I wish, and amps and processors..etc. I buy cameras and software so I can post process stills and videos...I set up servers at home to do fun things. I like to date different women...I like to dine at fine restaurants (I don't do junk food), I like to cook at home and buy gadgets as I want them....a vitamin, sausage grinder..etc.
My fun, art and asst. hobbies...take money. I work so I can do the fun things.
If I won the lottery...I'd not have to work anymore, and could do things I like with ALL my time.
Now..tell me again...why do I work, unless I have to to earn money to fund the things that mean things to me in life?
Money...otherwise, why would you bother to go to a job at all?
You ever stop to think they haven't done worse because they haven't gotten their grimy little hands on something like a nuke, which would do more damage?
Whereas in the cold war, MAD kept both sides from firing....there is no such threat that would keep these Islamic Fundies from lobbing one at us and/or one of our western allies. Hell, retaliation to them would only mean the fucking 72 virgins would come to them even quicker....
I've recently picked up a Canon 5D3....and I'm currently playing with that and an open source HDR application Luminance .
Pretty cool stuff.....but just get a camera that will bracket exposure shots for you, and then put them together with something like Luminance, GIMP, Photoshop....etc.
I'm just starting to play with stills for now, but looking to see how to do it with video later....this isn't just for arc welding.
I mean...really? You go apeshit crazy, right and kill people over a fucking film?!?!
I mean hell...the guys they murdered weren't even involved in the film.....
Are you willing to look for employment outside your city? State?
Have you thought about incorporating yourself, and get some headhunters to look for you some contract gigs?
Just curious, as that some people I've known that said the same things you have...are limiting themselves to only looking for a 9-5 job close to home...these days, you have to be willing to seek out the jobs where they are. You might have to commute. Move...people have done that in the past....
Look into contracting..and working remotely. Many places are doing that....
Not pointing the finger at you...but just curious what all avenues you've pursued in gaining employment. Recently I was looking to hire.....had a hell of a time finding someone....
I could not have put it better!!
Stand up for yourself. Learn to negotiate the terms of your employment right up front...I insist that I get paid for every hour I work. Whether it is a W2 or 1099 gig.
Sure...if it is crunch time, and I'm needed for long, over and above hours, I'll be there as long as needed. I will, however, be paid for every hour. That makes them think twice about if they really need this work or not.
Sure, you have to put up with this shit starting off on entry level....but, once you have honed your skills, and have resume experience (and you are, in fact, good) then hop that job and get a better deal on the next one.
You aren't going to have a job for life, fact that fact early. You could almost constantly be looking for better opportunities. Make sure and do interviews at least 1-2 times a year, to keep in practice for when you might really need that next job.
The best time to look for a new job...is when you have one. And especially when young, if you want to start boosting your income and work deals, you could be job hopping every 3-4 years.
You certainly aren't gonna get those kinds of income raises with 1% a year raises and the occasional "name only" promotions staying at one company for decades.
Look, if you're good enough...take control of your own destiny. If you're a good worker, and are well rounded (read, develop some fucking people skills along the way)....take charge of your own destiny.
Incorporate yourself, and contract yourself out. Be the small businessman. Negotiate your own rates, include in that rate for time off...sick leave...sock money away in a HSA pre-tax (not use it or lose it), get a CPA to work with you to help keep your taxes low, and invest in IRA's or 401K...etc.
Sure, it is a bit more paperwork, but the pay off is:
You don't have to 'earn vacation hours'...take them as you need, you budgeted for that time off in your bill rate, rememter?
You can write off tons of expenses. Mileage to/from site (keep a simple log book in your car, write down odometer readings, that's your documentation). If you've researched it...maybe file as a subchapter "S" corp...this way, you can avoid having to pay all of your billing to employment taxes...you can save a LOT of SS and Medicare taxation that way.
It doesn't have to be hit or miss either with small jobs....work your way into a Govt. contract, which can be VERY long term.
If remote work is allowed...work from ANYWHERE....it isn't bad doing a little work from the beach in FL on a nice day.
Look, the days of a "job for life" are long, long, long gone. There are jobs out there, especially if you are good. Take charge of your own destiny....get out there and make a good living.
It is true, that employers have no loyalty to you. If you're gonna have the job security of a contractor, you might as well get the bill rate to go with it, eh?