RANDI GLAZER | RENEWABLE ENERGY TAX CREDITS

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Tax Overhaul Preserves Critical Credits for Wind, Solar and Electric Vehicles

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This originally was posted on Inside Climate News and can be read in it’s entirety here and can also be read on our Facebook page – Renewable Energy Tax Credits.

The booming renewable energy industry breathed a wary sigh of relief as Congress voted this week on a sweeping tax bill that ended up preserving critical tax credits for wind energy, solar power and electric vehicles, though the industry still has serious concerns about other parts of the bill.

As lawmakers worked over the past week to resolve issues between the House and Senate versions of the bill, the clean energy industry kept a keen eye out for details of the legislation, including provisions from the original House bill that would have weakened or eliminated the tax credits for renewables.

By rejecting that approach, Republicans sent a message that they won’t back attempts to kneecap ongoing growth in renewables, despite pressure from the oil and gas industry to scale back incentives for clean energy. The credits have stoked growth in wind and solar, which for the first time this year provided 10 percent of the country’s electricity, while jobs in clean energy are among the fastest growing in the country.

With costs for solar and wind generation continuing to plummet, along with the costs of large-scale batteries for energy storage, the industry appears poised for further growth.

Even as the tax bill maintained the status quo for clean energy, however, it handed a major victory to the oil and gas industries, thanks to an unrelated provision that allows drilling in part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—a longtime goal of many Republicans and pushed by Sen. Lisa Murkowksi of Alaska.

The bill, signed by President Trump on Friday, maintained the production and investment tax credits for wind and solar, phasing them out according to a timeline agreed to by Congress in 2015. The final version also removed the alternative minimum tax, which would have lowered the value of wind and solar credits.

“I think it’s fair to say they weren’t included in the final Senate bill because wind and solar energy enjoys strong bipartisan support, particularly in rural areas, due to their important role as a jobs and economic driver,” said Gil Jenkins, a spokesman for the American Council on Renewable Energy.

Two members of the group reconciling the House and Senate versions have been particularly supportive of renewables, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.).

Still, the industry has a serious concern about a provision that threatens a key funding source for renewables.

While the Senate version of the bill was largely favorable to clean energy, it included a provision called the Base Erosion Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT) that’s intended to prevent corporations from making payments to overseas subsidiaries in an effort to reduce their tax liability. The provision would ultimately discourage some companies from using wind and solar tax credits to cut their tax bills, which could, in turn, discourage banks from financing renewable projects. The industry said the provision threatened up to $12 billion in financing.

The final version of the bill allows the credits to offset 80 percent of the BEAT tax, which the clean energy industry says is an improvement but still a concern.

“Under the revised bill, the ability to use business credits, including those for wind and solar power, to offset 80 percent of the BEAT tax ends after the year 2025,” Jenkins explained. “This is an immediate concern for recently completed wind projects, which receive production tax credits for ten years from the date they are placed in service. New wind projects have the option of selecting a single-year investment tax credit, but that too will involve a loss in value.”

But, overall, the industry is expressing relief.

“We are grateful to our champions in Congress for their work to craft a pro-business tax reform bill that will continue the success story of American wind power,” Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association, said in a statement. “We deeply appreciate the work of members of Congress who stood up for wind workers and rural America, and look forward to continuing our work with these congressional champions as we deliver more factory orders, construction contracts, and jobs.”

The House passed the tax bill 224-201 on Dec. 20, with 12 Republicans opposed and no Democrats supporting the bill. The Senate voted 51-48, strictly along party lines. President Trump signed the bill on Dec. 22.

 

 

Liberty Mutual Product Protects California Businesses

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This article first appeared in Business Insurance on April 6, 2017.

Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. on Thursday said its new loss of energy investment tax credit coverage provides replacement cost coverage for California businesses for direct physical loss or damage to energy property.

The coverage is designed to protect owners, developers and investors from financial loss stemming from damage to energy property, such as solar panels mounted to the roof of a commercial building, the insurer said in a statement.

The coverage indemnifies the insured for the costs of fines and penalties that may be assessed by the IRS relating to the recapture of investment tax credits.

It also will reimburse policyholders for resulting loss of energy investment tax credits, indemnifying policyholders for fines and penalties that may be assessed by the federal and state tax authorities related to the recapture of investment tax credits, Liberty Mutual said.

The coverage responds to the resulting recapture of investment tax credits that were granted for energy property, in accordance with Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Code, according to the statement.

“The new product responds to the need of California companies who have taken advantage of federal and state Investment Tax Credit programs to install solar equipment,” Randi Glazer, Walnut Creek, California-based inland marine underwriting consultant, said in the statement. “Should the solar equipment become damaged and taken offline, a company may lose an important revenue stream. It may also face fines and the need to repay some portion of the dollar-for-dollar tax credit received by installing the equipment.”

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Hawaiian Airlines MasterCard and Hawaii Airlines

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For the record, I am not a fan of credit cards that earn miles.  I’ve witnesses first-hand what my parents when through over the years with their American Airlines credit card with the limited number of seats allowed on any flight and the absurd things they needed to do to get the flights they wanted to Aruba over the Thanksgiving holidays year after year.

 

When my husband and I were returning from a trip to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines last year we heard about this great deal from Hawaiian Airlines Maste
rCard and decided to give it a try.  I thought the benefits would help me change the  negative perspective I’ve been harboring all these years from the American Airline’s credit cards.  I can tell you in a nut shell – it did not.

 

For the past year I was a member of Hawaiian Airlines MasterCard I did receive 35,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days and a special promotional 15,000 miles on top of that which got us 50,000 in total miles allowing us to save about $500 on or next trip from California to The Big Island.  We also were eligible for a one time 50% off discount towards a published round-trip coach fare for a companion ticket.  This was a one-time 50% off discount and was valid for 13 months from the date I opened my account.

 

I also received my first bag checked for free however, Hawaiian Airlines does not check you through for your full flight if you go from Oakland to Kona (The Big Island).  They count it as two flights (Oakland to Honolulu and then Honolulu to Kona) so I had the bag on my initial flight paid for ($25), but the bag on my second flight I had to pay $15 for, so the card does not save you from Hawaiian Airlines stupidity.

 

Unfortunately, after one year the perks on the Hawaiian Airlines MasterCard  virtually stop and then you have to pay $89 a year to keep the card which makes no sense to me from an economical point of view.

 

After one year, you do not receive any additional miles unless the primary card member spends at least $10,000 in Net Purchases within each anniversary year.  Once that amount has been spent, 5,000 bonus miles will be credited to your Hawaiian Miles account upon the card holder’s credit card account anniversary.  That is a far cry from the 50,000 you get the first year as a perk.

 

If you are looking to go to Hawaii, I highly recommend it.  You will love the island; any island you go to.  The sights are breathtaking.  If you are looking to use the Hawaiian Airlines MasterCard, I recommend to use it for one year for their first year perks and then cancel it as I did.

 

As a side note, I also do not recommend traveling on Hawaiian Airlines.  Their customer service, in my opinion, is probably the worst in the industry that I have ever come across.  This is not just my opinion.  I have spoken to many people who have flown with them and also looked on their Facebook page.  Their former customers feel similarly.  The flight attendants need customer service training or really need to be fired quite honestly.  I have made complaints from my last flight all the way up the line and the company doesn’t really care.  The airline will cancel flights and be very, very slow to credit your money back for those flights.  I am currently waiting on a credit for a flight they cancelled that is due to me from December 7, 2016 they have not credited me as of yet.

 

I won’t let how I feel about my flights on Hawaiian Airlines taint how I feel about Hawaii – it is a beautiful place to visit.  I just do not ever recommend flying Hawaiian Airlines.  If you do, you will be extremely disappointed.

 

When I closed my Hawaiian Airlines MasterCard  account last week there were no questions asked – I guess because so many people have been closing them they are used to it.  The people on the phone were very nice about it which was helpful.

CreditUpdates.com Partnering Up?

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Credit Cards

CreditUpdates.com, an online credit report service, has become partners with ScoreApprove to create a service for real estate agents and their potential customers. This seems like the right move considering both companies’ dedication to serving their consumers and sterling track record. It seems that the goal of the partnership is in developing a new set of tools to help both ends of the real estate sales spectrum. This in addition to their other services, which come free as part of the new offer, will be a worthwhile boon to any potential home buyers and agents alike.

 

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Home Mortgage Lending on the Rise and Credit Requirements Eased

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HomeIn yet another sign of the overall health of the real estate marketplace, the Federal Reserve reported that home mortgage lending was on the rise among residential properties. The demand for home mortgage loans also increased, according to the report, which has a number of implications for real estate agents as well as for the buyers and sellers of homes. These factors led to banks easing the credit requirements for potential homebuyers, a positive development for those who may have been otherwise boxed out from the market by more stringent credit demands.

Given the increasing demand for residential mortgage lending, it is not at all surprising that a company such asBoldLeads would also experience increased demand from real estate agents for its lead generation services. Agents seeking to capitalize on the residential market’s growing strength are certainly wise to focus on efficient practices in all of their professional responsibilities, and lead generation conducted through BoldLeads certainly qualifies in terms of added efficiency.While the Federal Reserve reported positive developments in residential home lending, the same was not true for the commercial sector. In fact, commercial real estate loans saw a significant tightening of credit requirements, which may be the result of the need to mitigate risk and guard against the potential for loss in the bank’s lending practices. Even though the news regarding the commercial side of real estate is not nearly as encouraging, the increasingly stringent credit standards may only be an outlier or a temporary measure for risk mitigation.

Randi Glazer Evaluates Day Trading Through Investors Underground

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Day Trading

In recent months, there has been an increasing amount of discussion on the subject of day trading and the manner in which it is used by experienced investors to earn a comfortable living. Randi Glazer, a professional with a tremendous amount of insight and expertise that extends to a broad range of subjects, expressed a clear interest in learning more about day trading and the prospect of succeeding despite possessing only a relatively minimal amount of specific experience in this kind of investment strategy.

Through a membership with Investors Underground, Glazer was able to expand her knowledge base on the subject of day trading in relatively short order by taking full advantage of the many educational opportunities made available through the day trading community. She also learned quite quickly that she was hardly alone among those who joined Investors Underground and experienced such immediate success with nothing more than a working knowledge of day trading investment strategies.

Utilizing the daily scan sheets and following the strategic advice provided through the community forums, Randi Glazer was able to benefit in an immediate sense while continuing to broaden her knowledge base through the use of the training courses and webinars also provided by Investors Underground. In assessing her overall experience, Glazer indicated that while she felt it was advantageous to have some level of prior experience in day trading, it was not at all necessary given the manner in which Investors Underground supports its members through education.

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Banks Raising Credit Card Limits for Some Customers

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Credit Cards

Money may be more available to the average citizen as banks raise their caps on loans, borrowing limits, and financial packages for all clients. Recently, and for the first time in a few years, people have more money in their pockets and in their bank accounts. Banks are responding by taking slightly bigger risks, which is good news to those who have faced trouble with damaged credit, late payoffs and similar financial tarnish.

But not everyone is pleased by the news. Some worry that the move is a potentially insensitive attempt, as part of a pattern, to create new leads for business—a move that will leave most carriers with debts they cannot pay off. Interest rates are low (although “poised to rise”), and the labor market is healthy, making it easy for banks to take a more daring stance.

Some speculate that engorging the market with loan money will lead to banks making demands that simply cannot be met. In February, credit card companies reportedly accepted more than three-fourths of the appeals for loans, putting a lot of money in the hands of eager clients that show promise of paying off debts.

Those considered prime-quality candidates for loans at a mid-range credit level are now seeing a 90% approval rating for loans while subprime clients still suffer to get the loans they need. Banks maintain high interest rates for lower-level candidates, and many who have taken out loans are already struggling to juggle the many accounts and payments on their plate.

As a result, subprime clients are increasing demands for temporary checks to help pay off standing bills. In recent surveys, subprime clients were shown to have taken on the most loan-related debt. For this, banks remain somewhat inflexible with borrowing policies and customers who miss credit card payments or take years to pay off debt in minimal increments certainly do not entice banks to loosen their standards.

For any underwriting consultation visit Randi Glazer Facebook page.

Tax Returns Made Easy

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Taxes Due

 

The holidays are over, and as people are beginning to recover from end of the year spending many are looking forward to tax season. Yes, from middle of January until April collecting tax credits is at full force. Below are a few ways you can use these earnings to improve your personal finances, and bring yourself one step closer to financial security.

  1. Pay Your Debt

There aren’t too many people out there who are completely free of debt. Whether it’s your mortgage, credit card payments, and even loans for the younger generations, we all have some sort of payment that is due in the near future. Depending on the interest rate, paying off these balances will greatly benefit you in the future and eliminate extra charges, and credit card fees that can add up to hundreds of dollars at the end of the year.

  1. Replenish Your Savings Account

If immediate debt is not a part of your finances, one way to put your tax returns to good use would be by replenishing your savings account. End of the year spending can be a burden on most families, which means taking out more than expected from you SA. By adding this money, you are proving an emergency stash that can cover unexpected occurrences such as being laid off, medical expenses, and possible penalties that can truly set you back financially.

  1. Invest

This suggestion is mostly directed towards people who are already financially stable and can afford to invest a large sum into real estate, as well as are able to acquire additional expenses. One area one can invest would be real estate. Taking advantage of decreasing prices and low-interest loans could be a great way for anyone to purchase their own home. This is a great goal that can truly pay off in the future.

Visit https://about.me/randiglazer for more information of Randi Glazer, the underwriting consultant.

Digital Products Are Changing The Landscape of Finance

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Digital Products

Finance, both personal and otherwise, has long been an esoteric field, its intricacies walled off from those on the outside. But the way people consume financial services is changing, with ever-expanding digital capabilities more and more accessible. Writing for TechCrunch, Pierre Brais, argues that the stranglehold that the old world of large financial institutions has on these services is rapidly eroding.

Brais, a venture capitalist and founder of Olocode, a digital business card sharing platform, sees the disruptive forces of the internet radically reshaping the way we purchase and consume financial products. This democratization, in Brais’s view, will lead to continued innovation and lower costs.

Consumer Trust

Prior to the financial crisis, consumers and regulators alike were wary of trusting new entrants into the financial sector. But since that time, trust has shifted away from the big banks. Brais points to the JOBS Act and the FSA restructuring the U.K. as just a few of the ways that the landscape has become easier for startups offering financial services. Ironically, many of those entrepreneurs who are putting these products to market are former employees of the big banks, who understand the limitations of the large corporations.

Money Going Digital

Mobile payments served as the first wave of digital financial products on platforms like Square or Braintree, but companies like Dwolla and TransferWise are pushing towards money transferring and foreign exchange. And with digital cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin gaining traction, consumers are showing clear signs that they are becoming more comfortable with keeping their money within the digital realm. Large banks can be slow to respond to this rapid level of evolution that we are seeing in the digital finance realm.

Digital Currency Can Obviate Big Banking

Some predict that the third wave of digital finance, digital currency, can make the big banks obsolete. While such a bold prediction still lies entirely within the realm of speculation at this point, what is clear is that digital banking and digital finance has a way of eroding the need for an intermediary between savers and lenders, the primary function of the banking system. Brais predicts that more and more customers will be empowered by the nimbleness and freedom afforded by digital financial products, making it harder and harder for big banks to maintain control over finance.

Randi Glazer the underwriting professional is here for solving all issues you faced while deal with any deal. Just visit http://randiglazer.info for more details.

Trend Fluctuations Among Credit Card Consumers

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Credit Cards

In a recent report, creditcards.com found that interest rates on new credit cards offers are the lowest they have been in the past 5 months. The current 15 percent interest rate has fallen from its  two-week streak of 15.09 percent. Credit card companies have also shown more leniency towards borrowers by giving them a second chance to receiving larger credit limits, despite their credit pasts.  

Late payments on credit cards have also decreased in recent years. This particular consumer trend is due to a widespread knowledge of understanding the consequences bad credit can have on your future, as well as stricter regulations on who is able to apply for a credit card. In addition to these changes, credit card companies have also developed scoring methods that can indicate which customers will have delayed payments, and which ones will pay on time.

The improvement of our economy is another factor of why consumers are now applying for more credit cards and consciously trying to improve their credit. Despite the willingness to purchase more big ticket items, the fear of acquiring additional debt is still present among Americans. As of late September 2014, total debt went up to 1.30 trillion dollars, including car loans, mortgage, and student loans. These statistics show that debt is present among diverse collective of age groups and communities.

The increase in debt has a positive correlation with the amount of credit cards that were opened this year. Since January 1st, the Federal Reserve’s reported a $ 22 billion increase in credit card balances across the board. The future of credit  cards depends on a few factors, starting from fluctuations in our economy, the uncertainty of the job market as well as constantly increasing college tuitions. In turn, this will prompt credit card companies to respond accordingly by changing interest rates and raining credit card limits.

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