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Thursday, January 18, 2024

The Daily Money: Who will be the world's first trillionaire?

The rich just keep on getting richer, and one of them could become the world's first-ever trillionaire within the next decade.

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The Daily Money

ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Thu Jan 18 2024

 

Daniel de VisΓ© Personal Finance Reporter

Good morning! It's 17 degrees in the D.C. suburbs, and today, we'll call that progress.

It's Daniel de VisΓ© with your Daily Money.

The rich just keep on getting richer, and one of them could become the world's first-ever trillionaire within the next decade, according to the anti-poverty group Oxfam International.

The organization released its annual report this week, Eric Lagatta reports, as business and political elites began to gather to hobnob during the  World Economic Forum. Warning of an impending "decade of division," the report's most stark findings highlighted the growing wealth gap between billionaires and, well, everyone else.

Could the world's first trillionaire be Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who also owns the social media platform X? How about investment guru Warren Buffett? Or Amazon founder Jeff Bezos?

All three of the billionaires are among the five richest men whose fortunes shot up by 114% since 2020, while the world was reeling during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oxford found, using figures from  Forbes.

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Setting a budget for 2024? First, examine your spending in 2023

A great way to make a household budget for 2024, financial planners say, is to look at how you spent money in 2023.

You might call it data-driven budgeting: Before you create a spending plan for this year, analyze how you allocated funds last year, to see where your money actually went.

"You need to figure out what happened in the past to have a roadmap going forward," said Lili Vasileff, a certified financial planner in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Data-driven budgeting is a daunting exercise. To do it right, you must pore over hundreds or thousands of expenses and assign them to categories: Streaming services. Take-out coffee. Meal deliveries. Out-of-pocket medical expenses. Housing costs. Veterinary bills. A budgeting app can help.

πŸ“° More stories you shouldn't miss πŸ“°

πŸ” Today's Menu πŸ”

For you diners who can't get enough Subway, and who aren't counting calories too carefully, the chain announced in a news release Thursday that its new Sidekicks menu will feature a trio of "new foot-long snacks."

In December, the fast food restaurant unveiled new foot-long cookies at select stores in Chicago, Dallas, Miami and New York for National Cookie Day. The new menu will go nationwide on Monday.

About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer news from USA TODAY. We break down financial news and provide the TLDR version: how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you.

Elon Musk raises his glass Dec. 16 during the Atreju political meeting organized by the young militants of Italian right wing party Brothers of Italy in Rome. Musk is among five men whose fortunes spiked by 114% in real terms since 2020, Oxfam found in a recent report.

Meanwhile, anti-poverty group Oxfam International warns of a "decade of division" and says it would take 229 years to eradicate poverty.

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2/23/08 1:22:06 PM -- Tomah, WI --Credit Cards -- Christie Carlson, 34, goes shopping at the Wal-Mart with her two of her children, Tanner, 5 (in cart) and Seth, 7, and boyfriend Mike Serns. Carlson, 34, who says that as living costs -- including gas, groceries -- rise, she's been forced to use her credit cards to make ends meet. As the economy gets worse, she worries that she'll have to rely even more so on plastic. Credit cards are   keeping Americans afloat like never before. As the economy worsens, dragging down retirement portfolios and salaries, consumers appear to be turning more than ever before to credit cards to pay for basic necessities. One telltale sign of this trend: While credit card debt is ballooning, consumers are pulling back on discretionary items like furniture and electronics and spending more on groceries and gas, according to government data. A growing number of people are even cashing out on their credit cards and using this money to pay overdue mortgage bills, say credit counselors. It?s not just blue-collar workers, but doctors and professionals who are being hit by the economic squeeze and   turning to plastic to make ends meet. A growing body of research shows that consumers are even paying their credit card bills before their mortgage bills and car bills, in a reversal from the historic trend. Photo by Andy Manis, Freelance ORG XMIT: AM 33572 Credit 2/23/2008
 

Setting a budget for 2024? First, look at how you spent in 2023

A great way to make a household budget for 2024, financial planners say, is to look at how you spent money in 2023.

Bailey Lavender, a social media influencer and hairstylist, turns on her lighting before going on Instagram live in her hair studio where she films most of her content on Aug. 23, 2023.
 

The price for being a social media influencer? Very complicated taxes.

Social media influencing looks fun, except at tax time. Here's what they need to know and watch out for when it comes to tax season.

Death is certain, but what about taxes? Not always. There are many ways to whittle down those due on corporate and individual income, legal or not. By one estimate, the United States loses the equivalent of three-quarters of its federal budget deficit to unpaid taxes every year.   Tax abuse comes in two main forms: evasion and avoidance. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service   defines   tax evasion as a deliberate underpayment of taxes, a   crime that can lead to hefty fines and even prison time. This differs from tax avoidance, the practice of legally exploiting loopholes in the tax code.    In 2020, the Internal Revenue Service issued nearly 34 million income tax penalties totaling $14.1 billion  against individual and estate and trust income taxes. The largest number of censures involved failure to pay, followed by not paying enough or late payment of estimated tax. Other penalty types include delinquency, bounced checks, and inaccuracies. Interestingly, outright tax fraud made up the smallest share of the volume of IRS penalties, at just 1,330 totaling $113 million in fines.    For corporate tax evasion, the IRS issued   587,511 penalties totaling $1.43 billion in 2020, including 57 incidents of tax fraud that incurred $7.9 million in penalties. (These are    19 big companies that paid almost nothing - or nothing at all - in taxes in 2021   .)      To identify the countries losing the most to tax abuse, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed    The World's Biggest Tax Offenders   , a report published by the financial software company Tipalti. The rank is based on the losses to tax abuse as a percentage of total tax revenue collected.   These percentages range from 4.15% to 22.26%.     When it comes to tax abuse, the United States isn't on the top list of countries losing the most, even among developed nations. For   example, Germany and the United Kingdom have higher rates of tax abuse as a percentage of total tax revenue collected. Other countries with a high rate of tax abuse include Singapore and Colombia - but the worst of all is Ireland.  (These are the    countries collecting the most taxes.   )
 

What does IRS code 826, 846, 570 mean on my transcript?

The IRS uses codes to refer to steps the agency has taken on taxpayer accounts. 826, 846 and 570 are related to overpayments and credit holds.

CRYSTAL RIVER, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 19: Subway Sidekicks are seen in a Subway Restaurant on December 19, 2023 in Crystal River, Florida.
 

Subway adds 3 new foot-long items to its menu

After releasing the foot-long cookie at select stores for National Cookie Day in December, the chain is bringing it back with a new menu that features two other foot-long snacks.

Icelandic style yogurt brand siggi's announced Wednesday that they will offer $10,000 to anyone who can stay off their phone for a full month. Winners will be selected on or about Thursday, Feb. 15.
 

Digital detox: Company will pay $10K if you can stay off your phone

Siggi's Dairy, a company that sells Icelandic yogurt, will give you $10,000 if you can stay off your phone and do a digital detox for a month.

Oct 13, 2023; Washington, DC, USA; Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wears a pin displaying the national debt as he speaks to reporters before attending a meeting along with other GOP house members to work on formally elect a new speaker of the House.
 

How much is the national debt? What the record $34T means for you.

The U.S. government's gross national debt has surpassed $34 trillion, a new record. But how worried should you be about the country's borrowing?

If you work remotely, it could have an impact on your taxes.
 

That wanderlust could cost you in state taxes. Here's what to know.

Wi-Fi, laptops and mobile phones have made work from anywhere a reality for many of us. But that could cause a tax headache.

Teslas charge at an electric vehicle charging station at a Target, Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in Salem, Ore.
 

Tesla owners say batteries won't charge amid brutally cold temps

One Tesla owner said he saw at least 10 cars get towed from a charging station after running out of battery and dying.

A Social Security card wedged between U.S. tax forms, with eyeglasses and a twenty-dollar bill set atop the tax forms.
 

A dozen states still tax Social Security. Do you live in one of them?

Which states tax Social Security? Most states don't tax Social Security but some do. Here's which ones they are, and how they might do it.

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