Financial Focus: 2018 Tax Season, a New Income Tax World

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA

Do you own a home, condo, or coop? Do you pay job expenses or alimony? Do you have dependents? Guess what? You’re in income tax trouble! Welcome to income taxes 2018! Starting in January of 2019, taxpayers will learn the true effect of the 2017 tax reform bill. In my opinion it’s the good, the bad, the ugly, and the ugliest. The Good: Well, since January of 2018, you have received more money in your check. Yes I know it’s not that much (on average two percent) but still, if you make $50,000, you are going to receive by the

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers! The Norwood News is out with its latest edition covering Bronx communities. With 20 pages of news, let’s get into the coverage! The front page focuses on the ensuring madness that was the Nov. 15 snowstorm. The roads became veritable traps as the city couldn’t quite clean up the streets. The Norwood News spoke with some frustrated residents while getting an explanation from city officials. The paper also has community reaction to sex allegations made against Bishop John Jenik. Supporters held a rally for Jenik, speaking up for the embattled bishop who was removed after a decades old sexual

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA

When I teach clients the “Introduction to Financial Planning” I share with them that it is like eating a Mickey D’s Big Mac. Now, many say, “What makes the Big Mac unique is the special sauce.” The sauce that solves financial problems is called “The Six Steps to Financial Planning”. How can I retire? Can I get cheaper health insurance? Can I save enough to go on vacation next year? How can I lower my taxes and still get a huge tax refund? Questions, concerns, financial problems. And yes, you can get a financial hamburger anywhere. In a bank? In

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers! The Norwood News is out with its latest edition covering Bronx communities. With 24 pages packed into this paper let’s get into the coverage! The front page focuses on the longstanding issue of mailbox fishing. The practice has become the ire of the NYPD, now trying to curb it with a new offensive. The Norwood News interviewed the lead cop at the 52nd Precinct behind the initiative. We also have an editorial on the NYPD’s tough task. The paper also has results on the General Election. The outcomes made the September primary official with some new faces going

Past and present faces of the Norwood News came to break bread and hail the paper’s 30-year milestone with a celebration at Lehman College on Nov. 1. The event drew roughly 130 guests to the college’s Faculty Dining Room in the Music Building, which included an awards program and keynote address by Errol Louis of NY1. Opening the ceremony was Jennifer Tausig, executive director of Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC), the not-for-profit that produces the Norwood News. Dr. José Luis Cruz, president of Lehman College, and Dr. Peter Semczuk, executive director of Montefiore Health System’s Moses Campus, spoke of the paper’s

It’s difficult to quantify the large amounts of money lost from mailbox fishing, the subject of our front page story. The problem is not new. Mailbox fishing has victimized scores of people who depend on the mail to send out their rent check, money orders for utilities, or even a gift card for a loved one. Yet, it hasn’t abated, and the NYPD continues to face a tough task in nailing mailbox fishers. The NYPD could be helped in curbing this kind of fraud that’s blanketed the Bronx. Yet, when reading that a bank won’t give up surveillance video of

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA, PFA

Yes, it’s a loaded and subjective subject. The value of money means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For example, If I said consumer spending is growing at four percent, as was announced by the federal government last week, does that mean we have more value in money? Or more money in our pocket? If I said to you gross domestic product is growing at 3.5 percent annually, as was reported last week, does that mean that you “feel rich”? Does this put more money in your pocket? President Donald Trump says, “Yes, our economy is

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers! The Norwood News is out with its latest edition covering Bronx communities. With 24 pages packed into this paper there’s plenty of news to share. So let’s get to page one. The front page focuses on The Bedford Manor, which opened in 2016 and is already showing signs of decay. A tour by the Norwood News given by one resident shows a breakdown of services. Reporter Joseph Konig got word from the landlord. Read what he has to say. Other stories include the city Environmental Protection playing defense over poor water pouring out of northwest Bronx homes. We

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA

Many economists and sadly many politicians try to tell you many falsehoods (unintentionally) as to where our US economy: Was? How it’s going? Where is it going to go? In my opinion, one only has to look at the COLA adjustments that take place in our economy. COLA, an acronym for Cost Of Living Adjustments, looks to ensure your dollars adjusts up or down, based on the health of the economy. People receiving Social Security, for example, receive COLA adjustments annually, reflecting a bigger or smaller paycheck, “the following year” based on the health of our economy. “The following year”