Get Your Financial Life In Order This Year

BY WIFE EDITOR

Is your financial life a little out of shape? Do you want to make it strong, fit, and healthy this year? This type of makeover doesn’t happen overnight, but you can get started right away. The start of a new year is always a good time to start new routines but anytime is the “right” time! Think of improving your financial life as a staircase with many flights. You can’t leap to the top in a single bound (unless you’re Superman), but you can make it to the top step by step. That’s why we’ve created the WIFE.org FINANCIAL FIT Calendar. Each month we challenge you to go one flight up the staircase by completing an action that will help you clarify, organize, and empower your financial life. Each activity is linked to a great article from WIFE that will show you how to get it done! Here is a list of some of our top financial planning articles on WIFE. We encourage you to bookmark this article and return to it each month to adopt a few more good money habits.

January – Create a Budget Great financial fitness starts with creating and sticking to a budget. Think about your financial goals for this year, next year, and ten years from now. With those goals clearly in your mind, create a budget that will allow you to afford a comfortable life today while keeping enough in reserve to save for tomorrow.

February – Talk Money with Your Sweetheart Love is in the air in February, but that love can quickly turn to frustration and regret if you and your sweetheart aren’t on the same page when it comes to money! This month, sit down and talk money so you can keep the love alive.

March – Prepare for Tax Time Yes, the least wonderful time of the year is quickly approaching – Tax Time. Don’t wait until the last minute to do your taxes. A mad scramble may lead to mistakes or missed deductions. Make it a goal this month to prepare and submit your taxes ahead of the deadline. You’ll get your refund earlier and save yourself a lot of stress!

April – Re-evaluate Your 401k Plan If your employer offers a 401k plan, we hope that you are already invested. If not, now is the time to jump in and start saving for a happy and financially comfortable retirement. If you are already invested in a 401k, take some time this month to re-evaluate. Can you put a little more away each month this year? Has your risk tolerance changed? Make sure you are in the best 401k plan for your retirement goals.

May – Create an Estate Plan May is the month of Mother’s Day, and if you have children, it’s critical that you plan for them in case you get sick, become incapacitated, or pass away unexpectedly. Even a simple estate plan can help your family follow your wishes, leave a legacy to your children and family, and protect your hard-earned assets from government taxes.

June – Vacation Smarter Summer break starts in June for many students, which also means family vacation time! Don’t let this year’s vacation swallow all your hard-earned savings. You can plan smart, spend smart, and still have an awesome time on your travels.

July – Cut Your Credit Card Addiction If you are like many Americans, then you have a problem. One you may have tried to keep hidden for a long time, but which is affecting your ability to cope with life. continued on page 16

Save Your:

*Home *Business *Car

Creditors’ Harassments! Lawsuits! Foreclosures!

Get the legal help you need NOW! Call 718-222-3155! FREE BANKRUPTCY CONSULTATION

*Health *Peace of Mind/Health *Marriage/Relationship

Documents Required:

*List of debts *Your most recent tax returns *Correspondence from creditors *Lawsuit documents *Social Security and ID *List of assets

Filing a Chapter 7, 11 or 13 bankruptcy may be your only choice!!!

IRS Begins 2022 Tax Season

WASHINGTON: The Internal Revenue Service on January 24, kicked off the 2022 tax filing season with an urgent reminder to taxpayers to take extra precautions this year to file an accurate tax return electronically to help speed refunds. The start of this year's tax season –which takes place earlier than last year's February 12 opening – signals the IRS is now accepting and processing 2021 tax returns. More than 160 million individual tax returns for the 2021 tax year are expected to be filed, with most before the April 18 tax deadline. Most taxpayers face an April 18 deadline this year due to the Emancipation Day holiday in Washington, DC falling on April 15. IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig noted that taxpayers need to take special care this year due to several critical tax law changes that took place in 2021 and ongoing challenges related to the pandemic. "IRS employees are working hard to deliver a successful 2022 tax season while facing enormous challenges related to the pandemic," Rettig said. "There are important steps people can take to ensure they avoid processing delays and get their tax refund as quickly as possible. We urge people to carefully review their taxes for accuracy before filing. And they should file electronically with direct deposit if at all possible; filing a paper tax return this year means an extended refund delay." For most taxpayers who file a tax return with no issues, the IRS anticipates they will receive their refund within 21 days of when they file electronically if they choose direct deposit – similar to previous years. Last year's average tax refund was more than $2,800. "IRS employees will do everything possible with the available resources to serve taxpayers this year," Rettig said. "We will work hard to deliver refunds quickly, serve as many people as possible and work to catch up on past tax returns affected by the pandemic. The IRS thanks you for filing your taxes, a critical part of helping our great nation." l Financial Life in Order/continued from page 15 You might be addicted to credit cards. This month, it’s time to sober up, cut the addiction, and finally live a life free of high interest rates.

August – Become a Savvy Investor If your money is sitting in a low-interest savings account, you could actually be losing money due to inflation. Get your money working for you by investing your savings into mutual funds this month.

September – Teach Your Kids About Money It’s back to school in September. While your kids are filling their heads with math, literature and history, make sure to take some time this month and give them the gift of financial literacy.

October – Face Your Money Fears A lot of our money troubles come from the way in which we view money. This Halloween month, challenge yourself to discover and face your money fears.

November – Shop Smart for the Holidays Deals, deals, deals! Holiday shopping has officially begun. Are you shopping smart or getting swept up in the fervor? Make a goal to be a savvy shopper this month.

December – Help Others Your money doesn’t just have to help you. If you stuck to your budget, then you should have a little left over at the end of the year to help the less fortunate. Give a little away to a good cause this month (whether it’s money, time, or advocacy). Now, onto next year!l Reprinted with kind permission of WIFE.org

Love on the Rocks, Ain’t No Big Surprise: 5 Signs Your Relationship is on the Rocks

BY MARY CAMPBELL

Breakups are rarely spontaneous events. In fact, the ending of a relationship often begins with a mental separation between the two people involved. For example, you might start to notice that you and your partner no longer enjoy doing activities or hobbies together. The two of you might no longer have deep conversations - or any real conversations for that matter. Here are five of the biggest signs that your relationship is on the rocks:

1. The two of you are emotionally detached from each other How close do you and your romantic partner feel to each other? Do the two of you talk as much anymore? Often, when couples start to feel less love and closeness in a relationship, it's a sign that a breakup could be on the horizon. Therefore, if your partner feels emotionally detached from you, it might mean that your partner is preparing to end the relationship. 2. You notice more hostility Another sign that a breakup could be looming is when couples start to express greater hostility toward each other. For example, you might notice your partner lashing out at you in anger over something minor. You might even find yourself doing the same to them. If the two of you are having trouble getting along together, it means your relationship is probably in trouble.

3. Your partner isn't excited when you share good news When you have exciting news to share with your partner, you probably feel good when they act excited about it. However, if your relationship is going through a rough patch, they may not be that happy when they are around you. For example, if you tell your partner about something exciting like getting a promotion and a raise, and their response is just "meh," it could mean that you are heading for a breakup.

4. You and your partner don't engage in positive non-verbal behaviors Non-verbal behaviors such as hugging and other forms of affection can also be indicative of how well (or poorly) your relationship is going. For instance, let's say that you lean in to give your partner a hug, but they brush you off by turning away. That's a fairly big clue that something is wrong between the two of you.

5. You two no longer share your personal feelings One of the biggest benefits of a relationship for most couples is having someone close to share each person's personal feelings with. For example, when you are going through a difficult time, you have someone to offer comfort and support. Furthermore, you have someone who will listen to you.

However, if you and your partner are no longer sharing personal feelings with each other, it could mean that the two of you are on the outs. In short, most couples can sense when their relationship is on the rocks. Whether they are growing apart emotionally or no longer enjoy spending time together, something is likely wrong with the relationship. Therefore, it shouldn't (and probably won't) come as a surprise if they break up.l

WELCOME TO AMERICA

18 Declining Immigration Is Leaving US Jobs Unfilled

BY WALTER EWING

The labor shortages currently afflicting many sectors of the U.S. economy are being aggravated by the arrival of fewer and fewer workers from abroad. Although immigration has been slowing since 2016, the biggest declines have occurred since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. According to economists at the University of California, Davis, there would be roughly two million more working-age adults now living in the United States if pre-2020 levels of immigration had continued. Travel restrictions introduced by the Trump Administration in response to the pandemic significantly decreased immigration, and the Biden Administration has left many of these restrictions in place. Of course, labor shortages are not being caused exclusively by falling levels of immigration. Declining birth rates and rising mortality rates are long-term trends in the rapidly aging U.S. population that impact the size of the workforce. Moreover, many workers have left the labor force during the pandemic because they have become ill, are afraid of becoming ill, or are facing increased demands for childcare. But there is no doubt that the steep drop in immigration also has played a role. Bureaucratic barriers preventing many immigrants from accessing the system continue to have an impact. For instance, the State Department estimated this month that there is currently a backlog of 439,373 visa applicants waiting for an interview. The shortfall of nearly two million immigrant workers is leaving both highskilled and low-wage jobs unfilled. The highest rate of unfilled jobs is found in the hospitality and food-service industries, which typically employ large numbers of immigrants with relatively little formal education. However, about 950,000 college-educated workers have also been kept out of the country—which amounts to around 1.8 percent of all college-educated workers in the country as of 2019 (before the pandemic hit). The loss of educated workers from abroad has a significant multiplier effect on the U.S. labor market. College-educated immigrants are especially likely to work in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. Every STEM job, in turn, creates up to 2.5 additional jobs by generating additional demand for goods and services in the local economy. As a result, the loss of nearly one million college-educated immigrant workers during the pandemic suggests that there are roughly 2.5 million fewer jobs in the local economies where those workers would have worked. The falling number of immigrants has other multiplier effects as well. Immigrant business owners in the United States generate billions of dollars in revenue each year, so the decline in immigration during the pandemic likely resulted in the loss of more than 200,000 jobs that additional immigrant businesses would have created. Moreover, foreign students (especially graduate students) contribute significantly to research and innovation by U.S. universities, so the 20 percent decline in the number of foreign students in 2020 also has hurt universities. From 2020 to 2021, the U.S. population grew by only 0.1 percent, which is the lowest rate since the founding of the nation. The principal reasons for the exceedingly slow growth of the U.S. population as a whole since 2020 are decreasing immigration, decreasing fertility, increasing mortality, and rising retirements. The end result has been a significant shortage of workers at all skill levels. To begin to rectify this situation, the federal government should at the very least work to remove the barriers to international immigration, travel, research, and study that have been erected by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DOS). The Biden Administration recently acknowledged the U.S. economy’s critical need for international scholars, students, and researchers “in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).” On January 21, the administration released a fact sheet detailing measures implemented by DHS and DOS to facilitate the entry into the United States of foreign students, exchange visitors, researchers, and experts in STEM fields.l

IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW?

Are you under investigation or accused of a felony or misdemeanor?

Get legal advice from the law firm you can trust: Figeroux & Associates.

We handle: nDUI (Driving Under the Influence) nCourt Order Violations nPossession of Drugs (with or without Intent to Distribute) nCrimes with Impact for Deportation with Non-Citizens nFraud nCrimes of Economics

PUT YOUR FUTURE IN OUR HANDS. WE CAN HELP. CALL NOW. 718-222-3155. Remember: The lawyer you hire, does make a difference! Looking to make extra cash? A side hustle?

We are looking for persons to sell advertisements. Experience in advertising sales is needed and preferably experience or a sincere interest in marketing. Interested? Send your resume to info@myiqinc.com

Read more immigration stories at www.ijlef.org

The lawyer you hire, does make a difference!