Tag Archives: donations

DONATIONS – DONATIONS

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Most lucrative business especially before and around the Christmas Season, and it has become the most popular for the very reason that it has now become easy to quickly set up a website, some money-collecting mechanism, and the online money collecting business in the name of donation is running. “In the name of donation” – that’s the point.

It seems advisable, if it is simply for a business to reduce their taxes before year-end, as charitable donations are tax deductible.

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10470-small-business-guide-charity-donations.html

But these tax deductions must be substantial, else there is no point. For regular donations, let’s say on a monthly basis, it is not worthwhile to even consider to enter those amounts in you tax return, as the end result – any tax deduction – is negligible.

What bothers me are not the daily, all day long, requests for donations for any cause, but the lack of accountability and transparency of those entities that have sprung to life before Christmas, enriching their coffers (who knows, for their own profit), without accounting of where this money goes, into whose bank account, how much is spent on administration, and where donated funds are going to end up. Presumably for a good cause.

For businesses who can lower their tax burden at year end it is totally legit to give to a reputable charity. Provided sufficient transparency by those collecting the funds publicly given, in order to know that those moneys go to the actual cause they were intended for.

Looking at one example:

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/20-incredible-charities-that-give-99-of-the-money-they-get-to-the-actual-cause-2017-12-28 .

Just heard on the local radio that less and less people are motivated to give anything to anybody. Why ? because most organizations or website owners asking for DONATIONS do not account for it, and therefore are automatically mistrusted.

Transparency about distribution of funds also means to give collected donations to the right cause and those who really need it.

[I am sure I receive numbers of emails after this post, asking me to “push the hot button on some website”, for DONATIONS, DONATIONS.]

INVESTMENTS – BAD and GOOD

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BAD INVESTMENT

As said before, one of the worst investments is condominium ownership, more to the point – purchasing a unit in an older condo building or one that is badly built, or worse – not situated in a good location.

Why ? Depreciation. Buildings always over time depreciate in value, while land appreciates. [Not always, but hopefully so]. The older a condo building gets, the more its needs repairs, maintenance costs are increasing, and eventually large projects need to be done to the building. Most financial operations – unless massive increases in owners’ fees are practiced – do not have sufficient funds to pay for large construction projects. That’s where SPECIAL LEVIES come in. The money collected cannot appreciate in those accounts. Especially now, with interest rates being so low. In addition, more condo corporations than not are likely to mishandle funds (using money for projects that are not necessary, while others are neglected.)

In summary: Unless an investment into a condominium is purely based on speculation (quick buy, quick sell in a hot market), owning and living at length in a condo can become costly.

GOOD INVESTMENT

Whether an investment turns out good or bad is purely dependent on the current economy, situation, location. [Of course, one can always ‘wait it out’ – “don’t wait too long and pass away over it, though”.]. Almost seems, that good investments – now and for a long while into the future – are DONATIONS, DONATIONS – mostly online.

I thought, I saw it all, but there is daily some other scheme popping up of how to sift money from unsuspecting media users. What we call : “auf die Tränendrüsen drücken” – meaning: During bad times, getting worse by the minute, develop a website – or use a tech to write one up for you or buy one ready made – and invent some event that could make users cry hot tears – and collect money through your website. NOW IS THE TIME, Folks !