Taxes stink. Ah, but as citizens of this wonderful country we must pay our dues for services. Most business owners know that the more you make the more you are taxed.

The best way to reduce your taxable income and greatly benefit yourself at the same time is through retirement funds, such as a 401(k) plan. I recently started a Solo 401(k) for myself and can place up to $44,000 a year into it, reducing my taxable income by this amount each year.

Your 401(k) can mean the difference between paying the government or creating a future for you and your family.

How should a 401k be balanced?

Money magazine suggests these allocations:

1) Aggressive–for those with 35 or more years until retirement

50%–large cap stocks
15%–mid cap stocks
15%–bonds
10%–small cap stocks
10%–international stocks

2) Moderate–for those with 20 years until retirement

35%–large cap stocks
35%–bonds
10%–mid cap stocks
10%–small cap stocks
10%–international stocks

3) Conservative–for those within 10 years of retirement

40%–bonds
30%–large cap stocks
10%–mid cap stocks
10%–international stocks
10%–cash

Read more about 401(k) plans:

• Forbes.com - A Way To Max Your Tax Savings
• U.S. Dept. of Labor - 401(k) Plans For Small Businesses
• About.com - Maximizing Your 401k Plan
• SmartMoney.com - The Solo 401(k)

Tags: Taxes, retirement funds, 401(k), Solo 401(k), Tax Savings

Bookmark to:

This is a collection of posts from the latest blog carnivals that I feel are valuable to small business owners.

There are gems of information in all of these posts, so if the topic interests you, please read them.

What is a Blog Carnival?

My personal favorite posts:

Entrepreneurship
• The Little Detail that Matters for Small Retailers
• Entering Overfilled [tag]Market Sectors[tag]
• Naming a business, product or service
• Buying an Online Business

Personal Finance & Investing
• Breakeven Point Before Real Returns
• Uninterrupted Prosperity
• Stated Income Loans May Pop the Housing Bubble
• Circumventing Late Fee Anger

Blog Carnivals Referenced
• Carnival of the Capitalists

Tags: Blog Carnival, Retailers, Naming a business, Online Business, Breakeven Point, Stated Income Loans, Housing Bubble

Bookmark to:

IBM and Georgia Tech claimed they have demonstrated the first silicon-based chip that can operate above 500 GHz by cryogenically “freezing” the circuit. By comparison, 500 GHz is more than 250 times faster than today’s cell phones, which typically operate at approximately 2 GHz.

By freezing the circuit to minus 451 degrees Fahrenheit (4.5 Kelvins), scientists can explore the ultimate speed limits of silicon germanium (SiGe) devices, which are said to operate faster at cold temperatures. This type of chip operated at 350Ghz at room temperature, which is still 175 times faster than chips used today.

“This groundbreaking collaborative research by Georgia Tech and IBM redefines the performance limits of silicon-based semiconductors,” Bernie Meyerson, vice president and chief technologist at IBM Systems and Technology Group.

This could obviously have a large impact on large and small business around the world.

I plan to buy some IBM stock soon as they are a major player in the nanotechnology sector, arguably one of the largest technological think-tanks in the world. Their advances will only continue over the next decade.

Bookmark to:

This is a collection of posts from the latest blog carnivals that I feel are valuable to small business owners.

There are gems of information in all of these, so if the topic interests you, please read them. You may learn something new.

What is a Blog Carnival?

My personal favorite posts:

Marketing and Advertising
• The Workhorse of Sales Letters: The Opening Paragraph
• Simplified Marketing Plans for the Real World
• Dumb Advertising!

Entrepreneurship
• Being a Successful Business Owner
• You Will Be Successful… In 5 Years
• The Danger of Short-cuts in Writing Business Plans

Taxation
• The Fat Tax Doesn’t Work
• Alternative Minimum Tax Discussion
• Whither the Estate Tax?
• Death Tax Debate
• Is the IRS picking on small businesses?

Personal Finance
• Get Financially Secure, Not Rich
• College Savings Reality Check
• Not So Rewarding Credit Cards
• Who Can you Trust with Your Money?

Blog Carnivals Referenced
• Carnival of the Capitalists
• Carnival of Personal Finance #53
• Carnival of Investing #27
• Carnival of Business #9

Tags: Blog Carnival, Sales Letters, Marketing Plans, Advertising, Business Owner, Business Plans, Fat Tax, Alternative Minimum Tax, Estate Tax, Death Tax, IRS, College Savings, Credit Cards

Bookmark to: