May 19 2012
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Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) has unleashed a line of ultrabooks with the starting price of $999.99. The computer giant also has plans to reveal a number of ultra-like models priced from $600-700 in Shanghai, China.
Don’t Miss: Will Apple’s New Mac Line Be Stronger, Faster, Thinner?
In order to produce low-price ultra-like models, HP compromised on hardware specifications, including the adoption of AMD’s (NYSE:AMD) CPUs and traditional hard disc drives and chassis. The PC manufacturer has maintained certain display sizes that range from 13 to 15 inches.
Many companies are expected to respond in kind with their own ultra-like models. Acer, Asustek Computer, and Lenovo will unveil ultrabooks in June. The race to get ultra-like models on shelves follows Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) and Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) unwillingness to lower the prices of related hardware and software products for ultrabook models.
Acer has been slow to promote its ultrabooks. The company has lowered the ratio of ultrabooks to its total notebooks shipments in 2012 to 12-20 percent, down from 25-30 percent as originally projected. However, Acer’s new shipment ratio for ultrabooks could still be higher than most rival brands.
Notably, International Data Corporation has forecast that ultrabook models will account for only 5 percent of global notebook shipments in 2012 before topping 10 percent in 2014. But whether these devices will prove successful in a post-PC world is yet to be seen.
Don’t Miss: Will Intel’s Windows 8 Tablets Help Microsoft Catch Up?
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LOUISVILLE, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Industrial Services of America, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDSA – News), a company that
buys, processes and markets ferrous and non-ferrous metals and other
recyclable commodities for domestic users and export markets and offers
programs and equipment to help businesses manage waste, today announced
that Mr. Orson Oliver has been elected Chairman of its board of
directors.
Mr. Oliver, 69, has been a director of ISA since 2005. He is currently
an independent business consultant with over thirty-five years of
experience in banking and financial consulting. Mr. Oliver began his
career in 1968 as an attorney with the U.S. Treasury Department in
Washington, D.C. In September of 1975, he joined Bank of Louisville as
general counsel. In November of 1985, he became President of the Bank of
Louisville. During his tenure, the Bank of Louisville became the
largest, locally managed bank in Louisville, Kentucky. Since his
retirement from banking in February of 2004, Mr. Oliver has worked as an
independent general business consultant for the Al J. Schneider Company,
a corporation with a number of large hotels and real estate holdings in
the Louisville, Kentucky area. Since May 2004, Mr. Oliver has also
worked as an independent general business consultant for PNC Bank. Mr.
Oliver has been a member of the board of directors of The Rawlings
Company, LLC since January 1997 and the Al J. Schneider Company since
February 2004.
Harry Kletter, ISA’s founder and CEO, was elected Vice Chairman of the
board of directors. Mr. Kletter has been a director of ISA since 1983.
“I am pleased that Orson has agreed to serve as chairman of our board,”
stated Mr. Kletter. “He has demonstrated experience and expertise as an
executive and board member at a number of organizations over the course
of his career. We value his judgment and look forward to his leadership
of our board.”
Stated Mr. Oliver: “I would like to thank Harry for his vote of
confidence as I assume the leadership of the board at ISA. Clearly, I
will have large shoes to fill, as Harry’s sixty years of experience in
the scrap and waste businesses are virtually unparalleled. I am grateful
that Harry has agreed to be the Vice Chairman of the board, and I look
forwarding to leading ISA in the years to come.”
ISA is also pleased to announce that Alan Gildenberg, 54, has been
elected as a member of its board of directors. Mr. Gildenberg has over
30 years of experience in the financial industry as an investment
advisor and also an independent floor trader at the Chicago Mercantile
Exchange. He holds a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan’s School of
Business Administration.
ISA’s SEC filings are available for review at the Securities and
Exchange Commission web site at http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html.
About ISA
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Industrial Services of America,
Inc., is a publicly traded company whose core business is buying,
processing and marketing scrap metals and recyclable materials for
domestic users and export markets. Additionally, ISA offers commercial,
industrial and business customers a variety of programs and equipment to
manage waste. More information about ISA is available at www.isa-inc.com.
Key words: recycling, scrap, ferrous, non-ferrous materials, waste
management, international markets, global markets.
Whether or not, a superior banking option comes out to be the top priority for most of us looking business deals big or small. We often expect to have a hassle-free transaction with 24×7 customer services. Our anticipation turns rigid even further to the bank when it may charge you lower and serve you better unrequitedly. For that all there is a must to have a valid bank account of any bank to rule the roost. There are growing numbers of banks present in India. It appears as if there were a financial revolution took place aggressively in India. You could have a better banking anytime from anywhere in India.
Indians have banks around in large numbers, offering credit/debit card deals. These banks are doing all to allure more and more customer each year coming with different marketing strategies. You are several nationalized banks in India. It includes Allahabad Bank, Andhra Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, Corporation Bank, Dena Bank, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Punjab National Bank, Syndicate Bank, UCO Bank, Union Bank of India, United Bank of India, Vijaya Banka and Punjab and Sind Bank.
Private sector banks include Axis Bank (Formerly UTI Bank), HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, ING Vysya Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes bank, Up Agro Bank Corporation Ltd.
Most banks offer a fee-free opening period, normally of a few months, and it is worth seeking out these deals. It is imperative for you to ensure that you have compare charges and facilities for following the deal period ends.
India’s largest lender, SBI (State Bank of India) is planning to cut the interest rates substantially to benefit lenders, after have had convened its assets and liability to discuss interest rates. It is expected that the deep cut in lending rates will make SME (small medium enterprise), personal loans, car loans and corporate benefit.
In the same manner, the country’s second and third-largest banks, ICICI Bank and Punjab National Bank respectively are also likely to come down in interest rates by 25 basis points. IDBI (Industrial Development Bank of India Limited) Bank has announced a similar cut.
In the meantime, the government of India has already given orders to banks to reduce lending rates following the 50 basis points. The central bank, the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) has cut the Repo Rate and Cash Reserve Ratio.
However, there are some lenders who are still unwilling to ease rates as the liquidity deficit continues at rest. Their cost of funds still remains high.
Essentially, it comes out that the central bank’s rate cut pressing is giving a strong signal to banks to pass on the interest reduction and carrying out rapid monetary policy transmission at the spur of the moment. Its implication is overtly perceptible that if Reserve Bank of India does so, the banks will pass it on to their customers.
Majority of bankers are looking forward to ease further in the cash conditions as government spending comes in.
In this way, banking in India comes out hassle-free any affordable. Every potential customer could be a subscriber of any bank provided that he/she may fulfill eligibility of the bank concerned. Call customer care number to know more about the bank.
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By Steve Van Tiem -
May 19, 2012
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Steve is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network — entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.
I presented a synopsis of Proofpoint, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: PFPT) competitive advantages and position in the security-as-a-service industry in the previous installment of my “IPO pre-mortem” series. This installment will continue that topic by taking a look at the business strategies that Proofpoint will implement to maintain its competitive advantages and improve its position in the marketplace where it faces intense competition from much bigger rivals. Among these rivals are Intel, Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), Symantec Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., (NASDAQ: CSCO), Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), EMC Corporation, and Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ).
Proofpoint has identified a set of objectives it seeks to achieve by making substantial commitments to marketing and research development. Proofpoint’s strategy for maintaining its competitive advantages and market position rests on successful achievement of the following objectives: grow the customer base by investing in direct inside and field sales organizations to increase market share; broaden adoption of the platform’s functionality with existing customers, a majority of which have licensed only one solution; expand the international component of the business in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, and the United Kingdom; enlarge the reseller and strategic partner channel network; extend the capabilities of the platform via competencies in big data analytics, machine learning, deep content inspection, secure storage, and advanced encryption; and protect against threats from competing communication and collaboration platforms such as instant messaging, web-based collaboration and file sharing applications, social networks, and blog posts.
The company’s marketing is aimed at developing and maintaining its brand which is critical to gaining widespread acceptance of its offerings and will support its growth objectives. As a percentage of revenue, Proofpoint spent about 52% on its sales marketing efforts in 2011 which far exceeds the percentage spent by any of its competitors. Symantec spent 42% followed by 23% for Cisco, 14% for Intel, and 12% for Google. EMC and HP do not break out marketing from their SGA line items on which they spent 32% and 11%, respectively, in 2011. Proofpoint’s research and development is designed to enhance the platform’s capabilities and provide a barrier against competing products. In 2011, the company spent 24% on RD, which, like sales marketing, far exceeds the percentage spent by its competitors. Intel spent 15% on RD, followed by 14% for Symantec, Cisco, and Google, with EMC at 11% and HP at 3%. Proofpoint needs to devote such outsized percentages if it hopes to establish a strong brand and offer a competitive solution against its larger competition. Because Proofpoint’s revenue base is so much smaller than any of these competitors, its spending on sales marketing and RD on a dollar basis is negligible even though it allocates such a high percentage to these efforts. Spending by Proofpoint in 2011 on RD and sales marketing together was $62.5 million compared to $3.5 billion for Symantec which spent the least of all the competitors on these items. Clearly, Proofpoint has a very steep path to becoming a significant force in the market place.
The marketing efforts are essential to maintaining Proofpoint’s customer service and support advantage but I think that success in research and development will be the key determinant for the company. I also believe that an advantage in customer service and support is a weak position, especially for Proofpoint which competes against companies that are many times larger and can bring many more resources to bear in marketing. More important to the company’s future success is its ability to continuously improve its existing platform and develop new ones as the competition in technology is ever evolving. And the company’s managers are indispensible factors in how well research and development spending translates to actual technology enhancements and upgrades that support its competitive advantages. More will be said about management’s ability and integrity in a future installment of this series.
At this stage in its business life cycle, Proofpoint is making significant commitments to marketing and RD in an attempt to grow its customer base, broaden adoption of its platform, expand its international segment, enlarge its reseller and strategic partner channel network, extend the capabilities of its platform, and protect against threats from competing platforms. By developing and maintaining its brand and enhancing the platform’s capabilities, Proofpoint should be able to maintain its competitive advantages and improve its position in the security-as-a-service marketplace. As the link between shareholders and the managers who will be implementing these strategies, the company’s Board of Directors will be the topic of the next installment.
FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN ) reported earnings on May 9. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), FTI Consulting met expectations on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.
Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew and GAAP earnings per share shrank.
Margins contracted across the board.
Revenue details
FTI Consulting notched revenue of $395.2 million. The eight analysts polled by SP Capital IQ anticipated sales of $396.4 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 9.2% higher than the prior-year quarter’s $361.8 million.
Source: SP Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.
EPS details
EPS came in at $0.43. The nine earnings estimates compiled by SP Capital IQ forecast $0.61 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.43 for Q1 were 10% lower than the prior-year quarter’s $0.48 per share.
Source: SP Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.
Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 37.9%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 10.5%, 330 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 4.7%, 130 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.
Looking ahead
Next quarter’s average estimate for revenue is $414.3 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.69.
Next year’s average estimate for revenue is $1.65 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.76.
Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 290 members out of 303 rating the stock outperform, and 13 members rating it underperform. Among 75 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 71 give FTI Consulting a green thumbs-up, and four give it a red thumbs-down.
Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by SP Capital IQ, the average opinion on FTI Consulting is outperform, with an average price target of $45.56.
Over the decades, small-cap stocks, like FTI Consulting have provided market-beating returns, provided they’re value priced and have solid businesses. Read about a pair of companies with a lock on their markets in “Too Small to Fail: Two Small Caps the Government Won’t Let Go Broke.” Click here for instant access to this free report.
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The Steve Jobs Betrayal
You may already know that in the final year of his life, Jobs revealed a stunning betrayal — and told his biographer, “I will spend my last dying breath… and every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank to right this wrong.” What was it that made Jobs so irate — and why could it make a few in-the-know investors some major profits over the coming months and years?
Enter your email address below to find out what made Jobs so enraged!
According to statistics compiled by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association, between 10,000 and 15,000 Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) are currently in technical default. Some lenders have even foreclosed on seniors who could not arrange a payment plan or otherwise get their loan of out default.
Initially, this may come as a shock. With an HECM, borrowers are not required to make monthly payments. Still, it is possible to default on the loan agreement, and unfortunately, some seniors appear to be doing so.
The Key Points to Maintaining a Reverse Mortgage
There are a few things that seniors must do to maintain an HECM. The first is to keep up with home repairs. If the home falls into structural or severe cosmetic disrepair, the loan will be placed in technical default. In some cases, a borrower’s loan agreement might feature a “repair rider.” A repair rider is an agreement that gives seniors a specific amount of time after closing their loan to make certain necessary repairs. Seniors who fail to uphold their part of the agreement will also be placed in default.
However, the majority of all reverse mortgage defaults have to do with borrowers’ homeowners insurance and property taxes. Seniors must maintain all necessary insurance throughout the life of their loan. The required insurance will depend on the individual’s geographical area. Some areas only require basic hazard insurance, while other areas also require borrowers to carry flood insurance. As long as borrowers keep up with these two costs and continue to use their home as their principal residence, their loan will be safe from default.
The Truth About Reverse Mortgage Defaults
News of reverse mortgage defaults are frequently making headlines. However, the truth is, reverse mortgages are no riskier than home equity loans or forward mortgages. In fact, since borrowers are not required to make monthly payments, these loans should be much safer.
To prevent future defaults, reverse mortgage counselors are required to educate seniors on their responsibilities as a borrower. Many lenders also work to ensure that borrowers understand the long-term implications of these loans. Still, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has decided to reduce the risk of default by implementing financial assessments. In the future, lenders will be required to assess seniors based on their credit and income. When this occurs, seniors might be denied a reverse mortgage if their income or credit score is too low. While this should reduce defaults, it will also make some of the neediest seniors ineligible and without many other options.
While financial assessments are not yet required, there are steps seniors can take to protect themselves against default. To ensure that one’s insurance and taxes get paid, seniors can set aside a portion of their proceeds to cover these costs. When a senior chooses this option, his or her loan servicer will be the one to handle all insurance and tax payments. This is great for seniors who would rather not worry about making these payments themselves.
Future defaults can also be avoided through careful planning and education. Seniors who know that they cannot afford to pay their property taxes and insurance should not pursue a reverse mortgage. Instead, seniors who are struggling to keep up with their expenses might want to consult a credit counselor or financial advisor who can review their situation and help them create a budget and reduce their debt. The bright side is that, as long as seniors keep up with these costs, their loans are completely safe and will be safe for as long as they remain in their home.
By Peter Pham -
May 18, 2012
| Tickers:
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AAPL,
ARMH,
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Peter is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network — entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.
As the line blurs between various types of personal computers, so too will the line between the various components that make them up. The success of the iPad and the MacBook Air from Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is pushing everyone in the processor space to greater integration of CPU and GPU functionality in a smaller die size.
For AMD (NYSE: AMD) the road has been a rocky one, but their first quarter earnings report shows signs that new CEO Rory Read and his management team have turned the corner as they attempt to differentiate themselves from Intel (NASDAQ: INTC). After decades of trying to compete directly with Intel and failing, Read has finally admitted that doing so is folly. I agree with him. With the release of their Trinity APUs, the light at the end of the long tunnel for AMD that began with Llano looks a little brighter.
The tunnel supports could easily still collapse on them.
Operationally Profitable
AMD was operationally profitable in Q1 2012; $0.13 per share excluding charges associated with divesting themselves of their stake with GlobalFoundries. In the near term, all bottlenecks associated with 32nm production are gone and they can adequately fill demand as they ramp up the 28nm versions of their current lineup. Smartly, they are not making the mistakes of the past, attempting to match Intel in die-size and failing to deliver. So, no, they won’t match Intel’s 22nm Ivy Bridge processors in size or raw CPU power per watt.
The key is they are not even going to try.
By ditching TMSC and moving their 28nm production to GlobalFoundries, they have a source for the next 18 months that is not in competition with Intel for fab line space. When they move to 22nm then they have the opportunity to get competitive bids from those currently doing that work.
From Clouds to Games
The core of AMD’s strategy is to leverage their superior graphics performance and experience in driver software to attack the entry-level processor market in that gray area between a traditional desktop, notebook and tablet. CPU performance is becoming less important than GPU performance at the tablet and smartphone level. Anyone who doesn’t believe that should ask Nvidia why their Tegra 3’s are getting their clocks cleaned by the iPad 3, even though both are derived from the same ARM (NASDAQ: ARMH) v7 instruction set.
As more computing moves to the cloud, our GPUs will work harder. So, better architectural marriage of the CPU and GPU will drive the consumer electronics market from top to bottom. AMD’s challenge will be building up their importance in the supply chain. Sales of discrete graphics cards in the U.S. are falling but in the rest of the world the numbers are still strong.
High end gaming is still very big business and will continue to be well into the future of the expanding Asian middle class. AMD’s asymmetric dual-GPU system was not ready for prime time with the Llano APUs. If it is with Trinity; if it just works that is a serious advantage to AMD in laptop design. Intel’s Ivy Bridge cannot do that, and while adding a discrete card will net you a solution, AMD’s APU is farther along this particular technology curve. Rumors are swirling that not only will Microsoft use a Trinity A8 in the next Xbox but Sony is considering it for the Playstation 4 as well. The price to performance value proposition is very high with these chips at this point in the product cycle.
Trinity on a Tablet?
I’m not sure of that at this point. The low-end Trinity APU is an dual-core A6 that draws just 17w at 2.1GHz. It’s not hard to imagine this slowed down into the 800MHz -1GHz range of the ARM processors and proving to be a strong competitor in the upcoming Windows 8 tablet market.
Computing is changing rapidly; Apple’s simplicity of design is driving a revolution in appliance design that is affecting chip design and vice versa. This merging of the CPU and GPU onto a single die is still being worked out; the technical details are dizzying. What is not dizzying is price. If Windows 8 and Metro is a winner, come this holiday season you will be shocked at the number of touch-screen all-in-one PCs that are sold. All of the pieces are in place for the PC world to have something Apple does not.
The takeaway is that AMD has begun to focus themselves at the low to mid end of the computing market, focusing on providing specialized processors that are device specific, like the ARMs are. This is where all of the growth is. Early benchmark results show that Trinity is not the Holy Grail for AMD, but rather another step along a path that started when the company bought ATI and is paying dividends now. Their share of the laptop market grew by 2.5% in 2011 after years of falling market share.
AMD has its work cut out for itself But, a return to profitability with leadership focused on executing in the highest revenue potential market segments means they might just be awakening from their coma.
NEW YORK, May 18, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Shareholders of Accretive Health, Inc. (“Accretive” or the “Company”) (NYSE:AH – News) are reminded of the securities class action against Accretive and certain of its officers. The federal securities class action, filed in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois (12-cv-3279), is on behalf of all persons who purchased Accretive securities between March 2, 2011 and April 24, 2012, inclusive (the “Class Period”). This class action is brought under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder against the Company and certain of its top officials.
If you are a shareholder who purchased Accretive securities during the Class Period, you have until June 25, 2012 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Rachelle R. Boyle at rrboyle@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, x237. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address and telephone number.
Accretive provides revenue cycle management services for hospitals and healthcare providers in the United States.
On March 29, 2012, Accretive revealed that, in response to a lawsuit filed by Minnesota Attorney General (“AG”), the Company had agreed to no longer collect debts on behalf of Fairview Health Services. On this news, Accretive shares declined $4.46 per share or 18.5%, to close at $19.60 per share on March 29, 2012.
On April 24, 2012, the Minnesota AG released a six-volume report detailing Accretive’s aggressive debt collection practices, including demanding payment from patients who were currently seeking medical care in hospitals. The next day, an article published by The New York Times discussed the Minnesota AG’s report. On these revelations, Accretive shares declined $7.74 per share or nearly 42%, to close at $10.75 per share on April 25, 2012.
The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York and Chicago, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 75 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of defrauded investors. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.
Each year in Canada, billions of dollars in assets are transferred at death. If you plan to transfer all or some of your assets to your heirs, you want to make sure your money goes to the people you selected in the manner you intended. Unfortunately, wealth transfers don’t always occur as planned. Outlined below are some common mistakes people make when trying to transfer wealth.
FAILING TO HAVE A WILL
A basic and all too common mistake is failing to have a will. A will communicates your intentions and allows you – and not the government – to determine how your assets will be distributed upon your death. Having a will facilitates the administration of your estate and can help you save taxes. It also allows you to choose the executor of your estate ant the guardian(s) of your children.
TREATING EQUAL BENEFICIARIES UNEQUALLY
Often, when splitting assets, the intention is to divide them equally among beneficiaries- for example, equally among three children. However, if you fail to take into account the tax consequences, the wealth transfer may not be equal. Take a simple example in which you have three assets: a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), a home and a non-registered mutual fund portfolio. Each asset is worth $1 million. You name your first child as beneficiary of you RRSP, and in your will you leave the house to your second child and the mutual funds to your third child. You think you are leaving $1 million to each child, but the reality is that the third child, who is receiving the mutual funds under the will, is going to have his or her share reduced by any tax your estate pays on the RRSP and the mutual funds . Assuming a 40 percent effective tax rate, your estate will pay $400,000 in taxes on the RRSP, in addition to any potential taxes on the deemed disposition of the mutual funds, which we’ll assume are $100,000. As a result, the third child will be left with $500,000- significantly less than the $1 million the first and second child each received, and not what you had intended.
SPOUSAL ISSUES
Another example of failing to consider the tax implication often involves second marriages or separated and estranged spouses. For example, let’s say you name your spouse as the beneficiary of your RRSP or RRIF to provide for him or her after your death, and you name your children (perhaps form a previous marriage) as beneficiaries under your will to inherit the rest of your estate. You assume that your spouse will roll over your RRSP or RRIF to his of her own RRSP or RRIF, and pay tax on any withdrawals. But what if your spouse doesn’t do this? Instead, he or she just takes the cash. Well, your estate will be responsible for any taxes on the RRSP of RRIF, which effectively means that money comes out of your children’s inheritance. Under These circumstances, it is possible that the legal representative of the estate to make a unilateral election to deduct the amount paid form the RRSP or RRIF in the estate. This effectively transfers the income inclusion to the surviving spouse. Alternatively, if you have a RRIF, consider naming your spouse as successor annuitant or Joint Life . This will automatically transfer the RRIF to your spouse on a tax deferred basis.
MINOR BENEFICIARIES
It is important to consider the age of the individual you name as beneficiaries. Remember that generally death benefits cannot be paid directly to minors, so if you name a child as beneficiary the funds often have to be paid into court or to the Public Trustee. In addition, once a minor reaches the age of majority, he or she will be entitled to the funds, without any restrictions.
If you want the death benefit to go to a minor , it is recommended that you establish a trust to receive the funds on behalf of the minor . The terms of the trust can set out how you want the funds to be invested and when payments are to be made for the benefit of a minor. If done properly, the trust could qualify as a testamentary trust and benefit from being taxed at the graduated tax Rates.
FAILING TO NAME A BENEFICIARY ON INSURANCE POLICES AND CONTRACTS
Unless there is a specific reason for having assets flow through your estate, such as to make use of tax losses or deductions or to apply any special instructions contained in the will, it may be a better idea to name a beneficiary directly on an insurance contract where possible. If your will is submitted for probate, it becomes a matter of public record, available for anyone to view. This may delay the distribution of your estate by weeks months or even years if your will is challenged.
When a beneficiary other that your estate is named on an insurance policy or investment contract (such as a segregated fund contract), the death benefit bypasses your estate and therefore avoids probate fees (and potentially other estate administration fees). The proceeds are paid directly to the beneficiary, usually within two weeks of receiving all necessary documents. By avoiding your estate, the death benefit may also avoid claims by creditors of the estate and challenges to the validity of the will.
UNUSED CHARITABLE DONATIONS
If you are planning on making a significant charitable donation at death, steps should be taken to ensure that your estate will be able to use the entire donation receipt. While the limit for claiming donation receipts at death is 100 percent of net income in the year of death and the year prior to death, it is still possible for there to be unused receipts. Individuals making extremely large donations relative to their annual income, who die early in the calendar year of who name a charity as beneficiary of their non-registered investment or life insurance policy nave a greater risk of having unused charitable tax credits. Naming a charity as a beneficiary of an RRSP or RRIF is usually not a problem because charitable receipts van be used to offset the tax on the income form the RRSP or RRIF. If you have a spouse with sufficient income, he or she could also claim any unused charitable receipts for the next five years.
If you are concerned that you may have unused charitable receipts at death, consider making some charitable donations during your lifetime and reduce your taxes payable now.
As you can see, there are many reasons why it is important to plan for a wealth transfer if you don’t have a will, arrange for your lawyer to prepare one. Review your will and beneficiary designations regularly, particularly after a life-changing event, to ensure they still reflect your wishes – and amend or update them as necessary. In addition, meet with your advisor to discuss your wishes for wealth transfer. He or she will be able to help ensure that your assets are distributed as you wish.
Discovery Insurance and Financial Services, with more than 20 years at Hillside Centre is a locally owned and operated Insurance brokerage. We offer a broad range of insurance and financial products such as home, life, disability, or critical illness insurance as well as Employee benefit plans for any number of employees including individual and flex plans.
May 18 2012
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Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) will begin offering less expensive Celeron processors, which in turn, could mean more affordable ultrabooks.
Don’t Miss: Amazon is Going for Apple’s Jugular With This Move.
During the third quarter, Intel plans on introducing four Celeron processors, including the ULV 877 and 807, which will be priced at $86 and $70 respectively.
The more moderately priced CPUs could mean a reduction in ultrabook prices to $699 during the third quarter and dropping to $599 by the start of 2013. As an additional effort to curb the price of ultrabooks, the portion of ultrabooks with SSDs will decline from 86 percent during the first quarter of 2012 to 56 percent during the second quarter. The reduction in SSD use is an attempt on the part of vendors to reduce component costs, according to Digitimes.
Intel released Ivy Bridge quad-core processors for notebooks and high-end desktops in April and plans a second wave of processors for release on June 3. The company hopes to launch five new Core-i3 dual-core processors during the third quarter that will range in price from $117 to $138. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is expected to use the Ivy Bridge chips in a new line of MacBooks many believe it will introduce at its World Wide Developers Conference next month.
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