Kevin Kroskey's Money & Mind

The IRS has enhanced mileage reimbursement rates for the second half of 2011 to 55.5 cents for business and 23.5 cents for medical and moving per mile. This is an increase from the first half rate of 51 cents for business and 19 cents for medical and moving per mile. The full announcement is below. It's nice to get a little help from our friends at the IRS. To Your Prosperity, Kevin Kroskey, CFP ====== Optional Standard Mileage Rates  Announcement 2011-40   This announcement informs taxpayers that the Internal Revenue Service is modifying Notice 2010-88, 2010-51 I.R.B. 882, by revising the optional standard mileage rates for computing the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, medical, or moving expense purposes and for determining the reimbursed amount of these expenses that is deemed substantiated.  This modification results from recent increases in the price of fuel. The revised standard mileage rates are: (1) Business = 55.5 cents per mile (2

Limiting spending to interest or dividends received is a common idea that many retirees have about managing spending in retirement. This idea causes some retirees to reach for yield in both stock and bond investments. In an annual report for Berkshire Hathway, Warren Buffett wrote, "More money has been lost reaching for yield than at the point of a gun." Pursuing an interest-and-dividend-only strategy is sub-optimal for a multitude of reasons, man of which I'll be explaining in an upcoming article to be posted at the Money & Mind blog. Meanwhile, click on the video below to listen to Ken French of Dartmouth College answer the question whether retirees should limit their spending to interest and dividends.