You can still leave $5 million, but they dick around with it every year so you can never be sure.

I know the problem, I have it also. My wife and I live in different states, so I have to file Married, Filing Separately. My normal paycheck is under the limit but my military retirement pay takes me over in to the 33% bracket. Neither place takes out enough, so I wind up paying every year to make up the difference. I determined that I am going Galt at the end of 2016, selling everything and buying a one way ticket out of Dodge. I claim single 0 and have an additional amount taken out of my military pay. Not enough though, so at the end of next year, I go from 6 figures to the low, low 5 digits. With moving out of the country, my living expenses will drop also and will be debt free by June of next year. Shrug it is.

There is no doubt at all that he is a Muslim. There is a video of him saying that the most beautiful thing that he has ever heard was an imam's call to prayer - only a Muslim could have said that. He is also a Marxist, which, although it sounds like an oxymonon, is not uncommon among many "progressive" Muslims. But the real issue, to me, at least, is why so many Americans are supporting and glorifying him? Who's behind the brainwashing? This has begun long time before Osama; he fits the role well, but is there more to it?

Thought you were going to say "arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic."

It has been "Time to Shrug" for many years now. What I see from the comments here, that beat goes on but nobody has any answer other than arranging one's affairs to minimize the damage.

That's not close to being what's needed, but it's good to see at least token resistance.

I was thinking about that, but aren't you just delaying the tax to a later date?

I am getting very tired of the tax situation and am considering retiring simply to reduce my income. I already went part time and that helped but this year was the worst because my wife passed away in 2013 so I was now single again for tax purposes for 2014. The result was a disaster. I just wrote my biggest check ever to the feds. I'm almost ready to give up except I love my job. What to do?

Watch out for the doubled social security "contribution."

As a rule, I'm skeptical of conspiracy theories. But there's so much evidence to support your scenario, over such a long time, it's impossible to ignore.

I am convinced that Obummer is a Muslim 'plant' specifically engaged to destroy the USA. Why fight with bombs and guns when you can accomplish more with the stroke of a pen in an executive order?

Rated but different, my family has private insurance through Humana which we have had for years. We like them and our very high deductible policy.

Obamacare doubled our premiums from $500+/mo to $1100/mo. The policy adds the usual Obamacare coverages that are required but that we don't need or want. So between this incremental yearly cost of $6500 and the 3.5% surcharge on dividend income, the donkeys lead by BHO and their ACA sure have made life more expensive for my family of 5.

What sort of medical devices did you make, term?

Jan

This is a good answer. Keep up the quality of your production, but rein in the quantity until you are below the trigger value.

Back in the 1980's, I ratcheted back my work hours to the minimum full time (32 hrs per week) to keep below a tax cuttoff point. I made about 20 dollars less per paycheck (I forget the actual amount) than the people working 40 hrs at the same pay rate.

Another possible solution is to talk with your boss about taking the raise in some sort of unofficial benefits (work from home 2 days a week; come in an hour later each day to miss traffic) that are not metered - instead of the $ raise.

Jan

If???

No doubt this has occurred to some that the situation we're in is not by happenstance? Look at the facts: our education system is completely destroyed, from grade school through college – the system graduates morons incapable of anything of value; the workforce is mostly destroyed and contaminated with “needs” and benefits, while incapable of standing on their own feet; half of the adults in the country are out of the workforce completely, mostly on welfare or in an illicit economy. To receive tons of “benefits,” one has to simply lower oneself to the bottom and ask – the latest from Puerto Rico – SSI disability benefits for not knowing English! It is truly hard to imagine that all these are independent actions; I think it is more believable to see it as a planned dumbing-down of the nation, leading to the group in power grabbing complete control. As fantastic as that may sound, the facts seem to support this perhaps not so crazy of view. This is not unprecedented – the Spartan’s killed off the brightest of their slaves and almost all slave-owning societies forbid education for the slaves. Except for the Mamluks, who conquered their masters. Our new masters will not repeat that mistake. Will the ever increasing taxes on the remaining producers lead to an eventual stop of the production and to a collapse, followed by the complete takeover by the people orchestrating this? A conspiracy theory or reality?

I think we all "shrug" in our own ways. I stopped making medical devices after the FDA started getting into the swing of regulating them. When the death tax came back in, I changed my desires to save money and would prefer to die penniless. Not spend so much time making money and giving up the other things in life- only to give half of what I saved to the government when I die.

If Obama had his way, we would give ALL our income to the state and the state would give back just enough for us to keep quiet and not revolt. It doesnt pay to make lots of money now, and if you save the government takes half when you die.

I am like the professor of economics denied tenure because he held, and taught, that one cannot spend more than one takes in. I'm just waiting for the word that a lineman's job is available in a real, physical community.

Funny. That's exactly what I'm planning to do. My benefits are all through my husband's job anyway. But what about the self-employment tax?

If you can, you should consider changing from employee to consultant. (But it may still not be economically sound due to cost of "benefits.")

You know why my posting takes the tone it often does.

Awesome! Any suggestions?

I shrugged 15 ago when I reached 45, but leading up to that it occurred to me that the moochers write parts of the tax laws for themselves. I took on a second job of studying the tax codes and learned how to reduce my taxes by a lot. I don't do anything that might get me in trouble or trigger an audit, but I pay a lot less taxes than most. I invested the money I saved, which is what put me in a position to Shrug.

Great Post! It is a struggle to stay positive when it seems that the looters are winning but when the time comes they will lose and you will be the better for staying upbeat for your family and yourself.
"Keep on keepin on." Joe Dirt