Erik De Castro/REUTERS
6 late tax filing excuses that actually work (Wealthmanagement.com)
Tax Day will soon be upon us on April 18. And the fact is, "no matter how hard tax preparers work, some returns simply won't be done in time," writes David H. Lenok. But "that's not necessarily the end of the world, as the Internal Revenue Service (surprisingly) has a heart and will accept certain excuses for late filing."
As such, Lenok lists six excuses that actually work: death, illness and mourning, the IRS misled you, destruction or loss of files, incarceration or active military service, and if you're a first time offender. Regarding the last point, the IRS offers a "First Time Abatement Waiver," which says that if it's your first offense, your documents are filed correctly, and you don't owe money, you're good.
A 26-year-old Dodgers rookie works as a stockbroker in the off season (Sports on Earth)
Los Angeles Dodgers rookie starting pitcher Ross Stripling told Sports on Earth's Dani Wexelman that he works as a licensed stock broker for a financial management firm called Wunderlich Securities in the off-season. Moreover, he reportedly invested his signing bonus into stock for Under Armour, Apple, and Facebook.
"Math was always my better subject, so when I'm looking at a scouting reports and averages - and nowadays you have sabermetrics, it's about exit velocity more than it is even average - so that's something I can remember when I'm on the mound," Stripling told Sports on Earth.
4 big picture trends in the world economy right now (Charles Schwab)
"It's easy to get caught up in the specifics of a sector when looking for investment opportunities, such as prospective new drugs in health care or a new device launch in technology. But focusing too carefully on those specifics can blind you to the bigger picture. While these issues are important, at times it's valuable to take a step back and look not just at the trees, but at the forest," writes Brad Sorensen.
As such, Sorensen points out the four big picture trends that Charles Schwab analysts have their eyes on now: 1) the US economy will likely keep growing at a modest pace, 2) the Fed wants to boost rates, but will continue to be cautious, 3) the worst of the commodities slump is over, 4) the super-strong dollar is, for the most part, behind us.
BlackRock's CEO Larry Fink thinks the DOL rule is pretty great (Business Insider)
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink is actually cheerleading the new regulation.
"Well, probably most importantly, BlackRock has supported the changes to the financial ecosystem, if we can enhance confidence with investors, I believe through that mechanism is going to increase and promote more investing, less savings in their bank accounts," Larry Fink said in the company's quarterly earnings call, reports Business Insider's Bob Bryan.
"So the more investing and the more money clients are putting to work with greater confidence and then it's a benefit actually for the entire industry."
The DOL rule will affect less than 10% of BAML's wealth assets (InvestmentNews)
On a related note, Bank of America Merrill Lynch's chief financial officer Paul Donofrio said on Thursday during the first-quarter earnings call the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule will affect less than 10% of the $2 trillion in assets under BAML's wealth management business, reports Christine Idzelis.