Anish's Blogs

  It's tax planning season! You are trying to get all the exemptions and deductions that you can claim so that you are paying only the bare minimum tax requirement. At the end of the exercise, during filing the tax returns, you will know your effective tax rate . This rate can vary from 10% to 40%. Let's consider an average 30% Federal (including Social security and Medicare, don't forget these taxes!). In states like California, you are paying additional 10% State income tax . So your effective tax rate becomes 40% . It is definitely painful to shell out this much of your hard earned money. But it doesn't stop there. Add property tax on your house. Assuming $200K income and a $1MN home price, 1% property tax means $10,000 or 5% of the income. Your tax bill has already grown to 45% . If you are renting, your landlord will make sure to pass on the property tax they are paying, on to you. That's not enough either. Now let's assume that you are able to save 5% of...

I, Ms Vaidya , am entering into an agreement on this date (insert birthrate here) with my parents Mr and Mrs Vaidya (hereafter referred as the Parents).  I understand that this agreement cannot be nullified. I agree to live a happy and healthy life. I will not hold the Parents responsible for the happiness in my life. I am entitled to get a lifetime loan of love and affection from them and I agree to repay in kind. I understand that the interest on this loan is accrued on a weekly basis and I will strive to pay the dues on time. I am also entitled to receive guidance from the Parents on a frequent basis and I agree to make best use of the same. I also understand that I will receive occasional discipline from them. Any and all arguments and disputes will be resolved in Vaidya Family Court and the decision will be binding on both the parties, the Parents and me. I will consult the Parents for their advice in presenting and selecting career options during my teenage and adult life and...

  Imagine a situation when you are happy to drive within the speed limit, no not because there is a lot of traffic or cops, but when the limit itself is 80mph, why do you need to speed? That's the case with Utah highways; you hardly see any traffic on both the I-15  and I-70 stretches on the way to and from Utah’s majestic canyons. The state is so huge with a population of just over 2 million; and this shows on the long, straight stretches of interstates and other highways. It reminded me of what Brian used to tell about the American West and the distances. It's been more than a month but the majestic images of the canyons, the meandering river in the deep gorge, and, yes, the intense heat vividly linger in the minds. First part of June is generally a good time to visit Utah canyons with temperatures in the range of 30-32C (86-90F); however when we visited the canyons, a heat dome engulfed the entire Southwest US and temperatures ranged from 38-42C (100-107F) for the first hal...

Steadfast Angel in the sky You guard me like a giant North Star Bigger than any object up so high And bigger than the Sun and every star Dazzling display of colors Green, white, brown and those vast blues Streaks of gray, like feathers Their spiral formations make me muse Your crescent phase makes me wonder Why I am the object of comparison for lovers Monotonous white phases I offer No match for the beautiful phases you deliver Comfortable you keep your resident I get too hot in the day and too cold during nights Shade from the scorching Sun for hours you present I can repay for a few minutes; then from humans I get slights No experience of seasons, rain and snow Or of the water flowing through rivers Bored of those Sunny days and starry nights Feeling jealous for I have water only in craters Have watched your changing landscapes, Catastrophes, nuclear explosion and Amazon fires Global warming a reason the brown portion enlarges Humans welcome as guests not as colonizers