Tag: Death

  • The 4 Potential Problems With Variable Annuities

    The 4 Potential Problems With Variable Annuities


    One of the riskiest ventures is investing your money in the stock market. But along with the extreme risk involved, is also has the potential to make you a lot of money. In fact, investing in the stock market can turn out to be one of the most profitable business decisions you’ll ever make if done right.

    With so many variables to consider, it is expected that you may have hesitancy to risk your hard-earned cash on a speculative venture in the stock market. The best course of action is to hire a reputable stockbroker to handle your stocks in the beginning. A trained stockbroker can give you dependable stock tips and solid professional advice.

    Another good idea is to discuss stocks with an associate or friend with a bit of experience investing in the market themselves. Talking with educated friends and acquaintances can be a good way to get stock advice and knowledge for free.

    A well-known stock move is investing in variable annuities using the premium of your insurance. Variable annuities are actually insurance contracts that allow you to invest your premium in mutual fund type investments. While this may seem like a good idea, when you review it more closely, it might be a poor investment.

    The following are 4 potential problems with annuities:

    1. Early withdrawal penalties can cost you a double penalty. When you withdraw your profits, you will be penalized because insurance plans are designed for retirement. When you take money from your premium, it costs you in penalties to the government and to the insurance company itself.
    2. The death benefit affects the people you leave behind. If the stocks you hold are down when you die, your beneficiaries receive as much of the investments as you put in. If stocks are up when you die, they are taxed as regular income.
    3. Smaller taxes are paid on ordinary investments in mutual funds and stocks which qualify for low capital gains treatment. The gains from investing in premiums, however, are taxed immediately upon withdrawal.
    4. When you buy annuities with insurance features, they are actually more costly than regular mutual funds. When an annuity has more insurance features, there are annual fees heaped on top of it. The result is a loss of profits for you.

    Another thing to keep in mind is that timing is a key element to successful stock investing. There are specific times that are good to invest and other times that are poor. During times of hardship or national duress, the prices of stocks may be driven down to a discounted rate, but there is no reassurance that such stocks will recover to realize a significant profit. Educating yourself on the company is key in this situation.

    The bottom line with regards to investing in the stock market is diversification. The best decision is to diversify where and when you invest your money so you can always realize some type of profit to offset potential losses.

    And you should always hire a reputable finance professional to help guide you through the stock market.

  • Windows 10 update causing blue screens of death — what to do

    Windows 10 update causing blue screens of death — what to do


    Some Windows users are reporting major problems with this week’s Windows 10 security update, while others are unable to install it at all.

    Since the update, KB5001330 for Windows 10 versions 20H2/2004, addresses five zero-day bugs and patches several notable remote-code-execution vulnerabilities, it’s a big deal.

    However, after the patch was released on Tuesday, users started complaining on various Internet forums that KB5001330 failed to install, resulting in issues such as never-ending boot loops and the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

    On the Windows 10 subreddit, one user wrote, “I modified and am stuck in a bsod loop.” Another user replied, “Same thing happened to me with KB5001330 on W10 Home 20H2 x64.” “I was able to boot after restarting with ‘Disable driver signature compliance.’”

    Some users who have successfully installed the update have reported experiencing sudden drops in game output, including graphical stuttering and unpredictable FPS drops, on the Windows 10 subreddit.

    What to do if you’re having problems with the Windows 10 update KB5001330

    If you’re worried that the new Windows 10 update will break your computer, the only thing you can do is wait until Microsoft fixes the problems. Given the seriousness of the security vulnerabilities addressed by this patch, we can only hope that the OS creator responds quickly.

    If you’ve already installed the patch and can open Windows but are still having issues, the safest way is to uninstall it and reboot your computer. Here’s how to do it step by step:

    • Launch the Windows 10 Settings app, easily found by opening the Start menu and typing “Settings”
    • Click “Update & Security”
    • Select “Windows Update” and hit “View update history”
    • Click “Uninstall updates” and select “Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB5001330)”, then confirm when Windows asks if you’re sure
    • Reboot your PC

    If you’ve already applied the patch and your machine is still stuck in a boot loop, preventing you from opening Windows, you’ll need to take more drastic steps.

    As previously stated, some users have reportedly been able to get out of the loop by disabling driver signature compliance, which can be done by selecting Advanced Startup during the Windows 10 boot series, pressing the Troubleshoot button, then navigating to Advanced options and disabling driver signature enforcement in the Startup Settings.

    It’s still uncertain how widespread the problems caused by this update are, but this isn’t the first time Microsoft has released a Windows patch that has caused significant problems for users. Given the seriousness of the security vulnerabilities addressed by the KB5001330 updates, we can only hope that Microsoft resolves these issues quickly.