The Secrets of Your Family History (online mba degree)
No commentsBy Gail Logan
Family history or popularly known as genealogy continuously awaken the awareness of many people across the globe. Some enthusiasts consider genealogy as a hobby or pastime. But for other people, it is important in finding who they really are.
Generally, it is the focus of interests and some controversies. In fact, you can unravel different mysteries in connection with your origin. Old pictures, written documents, and other forms of materials provide significant information utilized to elucidate world and personal history.
One of the most common methods is asking the help of a professional genealogy researcher. But make sure that you choose the right person as well as other important factors associated with doing the research.
Ensure that the genealogy researcher has the ability to find your family member. Look for someone who will empathize with your reasons why you wanted to search for your mother, father, or siblings. All the information should be taken cared of by a privacy policy law.
Ask for the procedure of payments. Know if there are additional charges such as photocopy costs, handling, and postage, overseas phone calls, record fees, and microfilms. Some researchers already include these in the package price.
Weigh your budget. The research costs depend on the things done by the researcher. It can always vary. Say, you wanted the researcher to search for a particular individual, or a whole family, or an ancestral line, or a comprehensive multigenerational research, or make a written history book of the family. The total cost may depend on the total hours spent for the entire research.
Ensure that the payment is safe when done online. This is appropriate for a genealogy researcher who owns a website. The technology used must protect any information you gave especially when a bank account or credit card number is asked.
If you could not pay online, ask if there are other payment options. Some genealogy researcher accepts the payments in cash or check basis. In case of checks, the researcher first ensures that the checks are cleared before beginning any research.
To assess the credibility of the genealogy researcher, ask if what documents he or she has the capability to search. The sources include compiled newspapers and sources ( local histories, family histories, compiled directories and lists, historical and genealogy publications, newspapers notices, compendium genealogies, special collections and manuscripts), vital records (birth, death, marriage), church records (christening and baptismal, marriages, confirmations, deaths), census records, wills, probate records, local and government land records, military records, court records, burial and cemetery records, ship passenger listings, immigration, and naturalization records.
Ask how the research package is mailed. In some instances, special delivery requests have additional charges.
The ancestral branches should have a privacy policy. You paid for the works done by the genealogy researcher, so it is your right to protect such documents.
The duration of the research may also vary depending on what you wanted to be researched. However, many research packages on genealogy can be completed for 8 to 12 weeks. Sometimes civil documents are ordered, so the researcher will wait for its arrival.
Make sure that you understand all the terms and conditions before making a decision or signing an agreement. Your money and knowing your family history is at stake.
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Self Directed IRA And 401k Prohibited Transaction Basics
By Jeff Nabers
The most notable difference between endeavors down the path of using a self directed IRA versus traditional investing is the unique rules that apply to the former. The extremely simple rule is that an IRA (specifically) cannot buy life insurance or collectibles (such as rugs, works of art, alcohol, bullion).
The more involved rule is known as no self dealing and is described in Internal Revenue Code section 4975. This rule basically says that for each retirement plan/account, there is a list of disqualified persons with whom that plan cannot do business. These DQPs include:
1. The accountholder/participant and any other fiduciary (person who makes investment decisions for the plan)
2. Companies who provide services
3. A member of the family of #1 or #2 above (family defined as spouse husband/wife, ancestor parents, grandparents, etc, lineal descendants children, grandchildren, etc, and spouses of lineal descents)
4. A corporation (or other entity) that is 50% or more owned (directly or indirectly) by #1, #2, or #3 above
5. An officer, director, 10% or more owner, or highly compensated employee of #4 above.
6. A 10% or more (in capital of profits) partner or joint venturer of #4 above
Every self directed IRA/401(k) investor should make this DQP list before making any investments.
Too many people seem to think of the list as only the accountholder and his family. As you can see it is a bit more involved than that. This doesnt require calculus, but you should actually write out the list step by step to ensure that it is complete. This list can actually get quite extensive if you, your family member, or anyone who provides services to your plan has ownership in several companies.
So, what is a prohibited transaction?
In a nutshell, when a DQP transacts with a plan it is a prohibited transaction (abbr PT). The trick here is what is considered to be a transaction. This is generally defined in IRC 4975 as when one of the following happens between a plan and DQP directly or indirectly:
* sale, exchange or lease of property
* lending of money or extension of credit
* furnishing of goods, services, or facilities
So I consider that to be the general rule. There are a couple of special rules and they consider a PT to also include:
* When plan assets are transferred to, used by or creating benefit to a DQP
* When the accountholder/participant directs his plan in his own interests (to benefit him now instead of through a proper distribution)
* When the accountholder/participant receives compensation from anybody in connection with plan income or assets
The reason I call these last three items special rules is because they transcend the 50% rule in determining when corporations are DQPs. In other words, if XYZ Corp is owned 49% by the accountholders mother then XYZ Corp isnt techinically a DQP. Buuuuuut, if the plan then transacts with XYZ Corp it is obvious that the transaction might violate one of these special rules simply because you cant ignore that the mothers position in XYZ Corp was probably considered in the decision to direct the plan into that transaction.
All in all, a little common sense goes a long way. The intent of IRC 4975 is to obviously keep the plan out of transactions connected to people that the #1 & #2 DQPs might be able to control or use as a strawperson. So, clever concoctions that aim to evade prohibited transactions rules by a technicality often times still violate the last 3 special rules. It all comes down to intent, and this is something that DOL (the Department of Labor the government agency that solely bears the responsibility and authority to interpret prohibited transaction expemtions) concludes based on assembling a fact pattern.
So the directly or indirectly part of the rule allows them to let some common sense override the technical rules. It also means that if a plan invests into an entity (Corp, LLC, etc) and that entity invests with disqualified person, it may still be a PT. More on that (plan asset rule) in a later post.
In summary, every self directed IRA/401(k) investor should make a disqualified person list before doing any transactions that involve the plan. Overlooking this is on par with a teenager not making and reviewing a budget because he thinks he can learn from and apply the concepts without actually doing the budget. Once this list is made, prohibited transactions can easily be avoided as long as the plan is never involved in any deals connected to anyone on the DQP list.
Learn more about Jeff Nabers, his consulting firm and the benefits of a self directed ira at www.Nabers.com or call his firm at 877-903-2220.
The Basics of Online Genealogy Research
By Gail Logan
The learning process for genealogists is a continuous challenge. Thus, information have started to explode over the internet. These brought family historians in the world of high technology. Everybody is acquainted with personal computers, websites, and emails. What makes this endeavor rewarding and fascinating is the passion for exploring new things.
The problem is that if you failed to track information then the problem comes. Say for instance, you cannot distinguish which materials are good for your genealogy research. Keep your patience. There is always a solution to it.
One of the most popular sources of information which have started to dominate genealogy research is dummy books. Genealogy Online for Dummies authored by April Leigh Helm and Matthew L. Helm is the latest addition. This book has five parts which is very helpful on guiding you to find your family history.
Beginners as well as those who are starting to research on the internet can find the tips on Part 1 and Part 2 of this book useful for conducting genealogy research. Valuable pointers regarding surnames, ethnic research, government records, and geographical locations are provided.
The most important part of this book is found in Part 4. You can learn about the ten internet genealogical publications, ten guidelines on how to design genealogy webpage, ten genealogy beginner’s sites, and ten guidelines for a smooth sailing genealogical research. Yellow pages containing various sites listings and descriptions are also included. This will enable dummies to have a definite guide when searching the internet.
Exploring websites can be more fun using this directory. Every section on the search engines enables you to obtain the most significant information provided by robots known as spiders. One common mistake done by first timer online genealogists is to go directly on a search engine and type the surname which they are looking. Then they are surprised by the results. Following these tips can prevent these conflicts.
One amazing feature of this book is that it is also available on CDs. Various shareware and commercial programs (Mac and Windows versions), utilities, and multimedia tools are found useful by genealogists.
Keep in mind that not everything is provided by websites or computers. You cannot carry your laptop everywhere even though it is already portable. But books are simply amazing.
Beginner genealogists have rated this book as really cool and informational. Successful genealogy research must start with a plan and orientation about the computer equipment to use. Chronological procedures are provided using certain websites.
Another point of interest in this book is the database of land patent from the previous GLO (General Land Office) provided through the BLMESO (Bureau of Land Management’s Eastern State Office). People have the chance to download copies of their early ancestor’s land patents. Some considered this book a good source for every genealogist. It covers not only what is found on websites but also amazing tips on acquiring important genealogical skills.
As your research progresses, you can also discover ways on preserving photos and notes and organizing records. You will also be acquainted on planning trips for genealogical research as well as useful strategies. Numerous resources developed on websites are offered to help you find your family history including foreign archives and sources.
Beginners are dummies no more. Genealogy Online for Dummies has made a big difference.
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