Tag Archives: small business

ACA Healthcare Subsidy – Why Earning $100 More Could Cost You $5,000 or More

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The USA healthcare system is a mess. This mess has been created by those we have elected for decades. It isn’t a short term problem, simple problem or small problem. Healthcare costs are a huge burden on the USA economy and the financial costs and extreme burdens (worry, fighting with insurance companies, forgoing needed healthcare…) are huge burdens on all those stuck with the system that is in place.

Update 2021: in 2021 the Biden administration updated the law so that this extreme drop-off no longer occurs. Now it is a much more sensible gradual reduction in the subsidy as you earn more money. The previous subsidy rules, discussed in this post, may return in 2023 (the current changes to the more sensible subsidy amounts only cover 2021 and 2022).

One of the benefits of the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) is that health insurance costs are subsidized for those earning less than 400% of poverty level income. The way that this has been designed you could get $5,000 (or more, or less) in subsidies if you earn just below the 400% level and $0 if you earn just above. Most such income limits are phased in so that there is nothing like the huge faced by those earning just a few more dollars.

If you are close to the 400% poverty level income and are paying for an ACA healthcare plan (self employed, retired, entrepreneur…) then it is wise to pay close attention to what your reported income will be.

Here are several examples, using the Kasier Family Foundations’s subsidy tool:

  • 60 year old in Virginia earning $48,200 would receive $7,073 in subsidies (60% of the cost*). Earning $48,300 would mean receiving $0 in subsidies (for this and also examples, the examples shown are for a single individual, you can use the tool to try different scenarios).
  • 60 year old in Virginia earning $38,000 would receive $8,029 in subsidies (69% of the cost).
  • 34 year old in Virginia earning $48,200 would receive $608 in subsidies (12% of the cost).
  • 50 year old in California earning $48,200 would receive $4,255 in subsidies (48% of the cost).
  • 34 year old in North Carolina earning $48,200 would receive $1,636 in subsidies (26% of the cost).
  • 64 year old in Virginia earning $48,200 would receive $8,283 in subsidies (64% of the cost*).
  • Family of 4 (ages 46, 42, 12 and 10) earning $40,000 in Colorado would receive $13,799 in subsidies. I do not believe the subsidy calculator (in the link) is properly calculating the income limits for families. It is showing the same limits for single people when I try it now. I believe for a family of 4 the income level that no longer qualifies for subsidy would be $98,400 (400% of poverty level – the poverty level would be $24,600 according to that link). But I may be wrong about this?

* The subsidy is calculated using the average silver plan costs (this results in a $ subsidy amount for you – based on your income and the silver plan costs in your area). But you can select whatever plan you want. So if you selected a bronze plan it could be your subsidy percentage is higher, or you could select a gold plan and your subsidy percentage would be lower. The subsidy values will differ in the state depending on what health plans are available specifically in your location.

As you can see the subsidy is based on the hardship the health care premiums would place on the individual. If you have a fairly low cost plan and earn $48,200 your subsidy will be low. Since the costs are largely based on age (smokers also face an increased cost) this means that the subsidy increases a great deal as the costs skyrocket for those aged 50 to 64 (at 65 you can qualify for medicare and escape the huge costs of health insurance at that age.

I think many people would be surprised at how high your income can be and yet you still qualify for a subsidy, especially if you are a family.

The subsidy levels for those with very high health insurance costs (especially those over 50 years old, or with a family) are very large. If you are close to the subsidy cutoff level the costs of going over can be huge, costing you $5,000 or even over $10,000 just by making an extra $100.

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New International Banking Solution for Small Business and Digital Nomads

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One of the significant hassles of a the new digital economy is that national borders are largely irrelevant to digital businesses but the banking infrastructure is still stuck in the past. Dealing with international payments is a hassle and can be expensive.

Transferwise has been providing good service for years in helping people move money between currencies at transparent and reasonable rates and with good service. They have a very interesting new service: Borderless banking. They allow you to create an account based on many countries in Europe as well as in the USA (about 30 states so far).

This is a great service, as I have written: finding an international business bank as a digital nomad is challenging.

You may hold funds in your Borderless account in 15 different currencies at the this time. You may send money to someone else using 50 different currencies via Transferwise. With a Borderless account you will be able to accept payments as a local company from Europe, UK and the USA – those paying you can send electronic payments as they normally do using their bank (the process is seamless to them, they treat your bank account just like any other they make payments to).

image showing the currencies Transferwise allows

Transferwise allows you to hold Borderless balances in these 15 currencies.

The fees are mainly a fee to change currencies (often between .5 and 1%) which is very reasonable. So if you hold money in USD and want to pay someone in Mexican Pesos you pay 1% (reduced to .7% over $10,000). USD to Indian Rupee is .9% (reduced .7% over $10,000).

Importantly currency conversion takes place at the real mid-market rate for the currencies (many banks hide fees by giving you bad conversion rates).

In checking costs on their site I have noticed changing from USD to another currency is often higher than from another currency to USD. For example, Euro to USD is 1%, USD to Euro is .5%. USD to Singapore dollar is 1% (reduced to .5% at $5,000) while the reverse is .5%.

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Insurance as a Digital Entrepreneur

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Insurance is one of the important aspects entrepreneurs, even sole proprietors, must include in their business plans.

Insurance for freelancers
If you are starting a small business or simply going it alone, make sure you have insurance that will cover the unexpected. Many freelancers starting out believe their insurance needs are similar to those of any other individual, but there are business considerations that influence what kind of insurance freelancers should choose. It is important to be covered in case of lawsuits and unforeseen circumstances that could arise related to your business. You may need insurance in addition to the regular home, health and auto insurance that everyone needs (assuming you have an auto).

Indemnity and Liability Insurance
Indemnity insurance is a fundamental starting point for any business, including freelancers. Indemnity is also known as personal liability insurance and it provides protection cover in the case of lawsuits by clients and customers who allege negligence through error or omission. This is an example of how a simple mistake, even merely an alleged one, can land you in court and cost you a lot of money. Indemnity insurance covers cases brought in civil court but not a criminal court and operates on a similar principle to malpractice insurance. Even minor errors can end in lawsuits and can begin with a simple accusation of false claims or an allegation of misleading advice given by you as a consultant.

You may be familiar with liability insurance from your auto or home or rental coverage. Liability insurance could provide financial protection if someone is injured on your premises. If you feel you need guidance concerning whether liability insurance is for you, speak to local insurance agents if you have questions.

This coverage can often be purchase from the same company you purchased you homeowners insurance from. Often when you purchase multiple types of insurance from the same company you will get a discount. Still it is always wise to get several quotes from different insurers.

Check Your Existing Insurance Coverage
You may feel that your home, auto, and life insurance policy that you have now is sufficient to cover your needs as a freelancer. However, it is worth double checking whether your existing policies are sufficient if you change your situation (for example, open a side business or become a digital nomad). For instance, you may feel comfortable that your home office is covered, but make sure that all the contents of your office space are insured. If you use your car for driving clients around and marketing, make sure these work activities are covered under your current auto insurance plan.

Your life insurance policy, whether it is 10, 20 or 30 years, should reflect your income as a freelancer. If your income fluctuates, talk to an insurance agent about what kind of life insurance is right for you. As a freelancer, you should make sure you have your own health and dental insurance, and you may decide on plans designed especially for freelancers. In addition, disability insurance is a very important and often overlooked type of coverage.

Media Insurance
You may never have heard of media insurance, but it is becoming more popular in an environment in which a few bad reviews on social media can seriously harm a business. This type of insurance can protect you in defamation and libel suits which can involve expensive legal fees.

As you branch out with your career and decide to freelance, keep in mind that not only are your finances taxes different, but your insurance needs will change as well. Consult with an agent concerning the best insurance solutions for you and your family.

Getting Started Early on FI/RE

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image of the cover of Daredevil #181

I started adopting the mindset that set me on the path for FI/RE (Financial Independence/Retire Early) when I was very young. I collected baseball cards when I was a kid and added comic collections when I was a bit older kid.

Early on I was paying attention to the investment potential. I enjoyed not just the collecting but also the idea of making money by buying something and then selling it later for more money (which is the fundamental idea of investing). It came naturally to me.

I never much liked spending money on something that lost its value. For some things, like ice cream, I could happily spend my money even though I would soon have nothing to show for it. But more often I would rather buy something I could enjoy and also believe I would be able to sell later at a higher price.

image of Watchmen comic cover

When I started actually trying to sell baseball cards for money I learned about he difference between reported “value” and the ability to get cash for what you owned. Not only can’t you sell items to a store at the “value” reported in pricing guides you often couldn’t sell them at all (they didn’t want the items at all).

In high school I started renting space to sell at shows. There you were selling to the public (or other dealers). I learned vivid examples of the challenges of turning assets into cash. And I also learned about the weaknesses in the economic ideals such as the market being efficient. I saw how often the very same product (the same baseball card) for sale in the same hall would have very different prices (over 100% more was not uncommon) and the sales were often not close to the best buys. The friction in this situation was much smaller than the typical purchase (all the items were in the same room, just a little bit of walking created the friction).

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Golden Rules for Making Money

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P. T. Barnum wrote the Golden Rules for Making Money in 1880. He provides a few paragraphs on each of the 20 golden rules:

1. Don’t mistake your vocation
2. Select the right location
3. Avoid debt

Money is in some respects like fire; it is a very excellent servant but a terrible master. When you have it mastering you; when interest is constantly piling up against you, it will keep you down in the worst kind of slavery. But let money work for you, and you have the most devoted servant in the world. It is no “eye-servant.” There is nothing animate or inanimate that will work so faithfully as money when placed at interest, well secured. It works night and day, and in wet or dry weather.

4. Persevere
5. Whatever you do, do it with all your might
6. Depend upon your own personal exertions
7. Use the best tools
8. Don’t get above your business
9. Learn something useful
10. Let hope predominate but be not too visionary
11. Do not scatter your powers
12. Be systematic
13. Read the newspapers
14. Beware of “outside operations”
15. Don’t indorse without security
16. Advertise your business
17. Be polite and kind to your customers
18. Be charitable
19. Don’t blab
20. Preserve your integrity

From the introduction,

Those who really desire to attain an independence, have only to set their minds upon it, and adopt the proper means, as they do in regard to any other object which they wish to accomplish, and the thing is easily done. But however easy it may be found to make money, I have no doubt many of my hearers will agree it is the most difficult thing in the world to keep it. The road to wealth is, as Dr. Franklin truly says, “as plain as the road to the mill.” It consists simply in expending less than we earn; that seems to be a very simple problem.

The thoughts are worth reading today. You can update things a bit, from read the newspapers, to read the websites, but mainly it is sensible advice today.

"A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so." - Mahatma Gandhi

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Economics: Digital Nomads, Visas, Foreign Currency

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This is a slighted edited version of my comment to someone asking about countries that have laws specifically detailing digital nomads are allowed to work on tourist visas. My background is in economics and investing based on economic understanding.

The question of digital nomads working encompasses legal questions (do I need a special visa etc.), regulatory realities (regardless of what the law says how is it enforced at the ground level?) and economics (I am talking here about the benefits to the country economically from having digital nomads).

I like the economic thinking that should drive what the government’s wish to accomplish. The prohibition against work on tourist visas makes sense when work is defined as it was historically (being hired by a company in the country that otherwise would have hired a citizen). So when I am thinking about it I find thinking about the macroeconomic level view and how that is manifest in laws and policy. From a practical standpoint of being a digital nomad what really matters is how that all gets filtered down to the government employees on the ground making decisions.

Few laws say what is legal, they normally say what is not. I would imagine few countries specifically say it is legal to do work from another country (as a digital nomad, as a employee answering an business email on their vacation, as a private investor reading the news and using the internet to buy or sell a stock, as a writer writing a book that will be published back home, an entrepreneur refining ideas to launch a new business back home or whatever).

The laws usually are pretty clear you can’t apply for jobs and get hired by a company inside that country to do work in that country on a tourist visa.

“Thailand” has said it is ok to work as a digital nomad (work for some company outside the country) while on a tourist visa. But these pronouncements by officials don’t carry much weight with other officials so they are not worth much.

What is helpful is knowing the prohibitions against working are primarily about not having foreigners take jobs of the citizens. Digital nomads don’t do that. So they are not meant to be prohibited anymore than the other examples (an executive participating in a conference call from work while on vacation etc.).

But since it isn’t clear cut it can be confused by officials as something not allowed. It is much easier not to have to get low level officials to comprehend the intent of the laws. They think of it as tourists can’t work in the country and that is essentially true. But how “work” is defined is the issue; and digital nomad work doesn’t fit the description of work in that context.

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Start-Up Chile – An Innovative Program for Global Entrepreneurs

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I am very impressed with Start-Up Chile. It is a Chilean Government run program that attracts early stage, high-potential entrepreneurs to bootstrap their startups in Chile, using it as a platform to go global. The goal of the program is to position Chile as the leading innovation and entrepreneurial hub of Latin America.

Silicon Valley provides huge benefits to the USA economy. Many countries are envious of this advantage and wish they could gain such economic benefits. But there is a big gulf between wishing and accomplishing. That path requires doing many things right.

Start-Up Chile alone is but a small step in the right direction. But it is a very interesting one. And they have kept it up for several years now. It is amazing how many efforts to create inviting climates for entrepreneurs start with a great flourish as diminish to nothing within 5 years.

Panoramic view of northeastern Santiago

Panoramic view of northeastern Santiago, as seen from the hills of Parque Metropolitano in Providencia. Visible in the background are Apoquindo and Sierra de Ramón. via wikimedia

For the current application (open during the month of September) Startup Chile is looking especially for startups in robotics; healthcare and biotech; clean energy; and education.

In my opinion the benefit for entrepreneurs is worthwhile (and especially strong for those in Latin America) but I am even more impressed with the sense the Chilean government is showing for talking concrete steps to boost the entrepreneurship climate in Chile. There are quite a few very good efforts to incubate startups. Few government though are doing much beyond talk. Singapore is another country that is taking fairly smart actions (which isn’t so surprising given Singapore’s long term evidence of smart government).

Many countries understand the benefits of creating a strong climate for entrepreneurs. And given the especially easy location independence of internet based businesses there is a public relations battle for attracting these entrepreneurs (even if most countries don’t seem to have caught onto this reality).

Chile has been getting great publicity from Startup Chile and if they can successfully build on that success they will gain a very nice advantage at very little cost. Like so many startups the Startup Chile program itself has to make sure it builds from the base it has built instead of just fading away.

Related: Finding an International Business Bank as a Digital Nomad – Transfer Money Between Currencies Using New Providers, Not Banks, and Save – Leading Economic Freedom: Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland (Chile was ranked 10th in the world) – International Migrants: Economics and Banking

Transfer Money Between Currencies Using New Providers Not Banks And Save

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One of the annoyances of travel and even more so with business (for digital nomads or expats) is converting money between currencies. It actually is fairly easy now for a traveler but can be costly. When you have a business and need to convert between currencies it can be very costly.

Using ATMs to get cash in the local currency normally give better rates than you can get in most other ways. And you are unlikely to be outright swindled any more than large banks do (which if you follow the news is a great deal, scandal after scandal of illegally taking from customers in violation of the law). The transaction costs of ATMs can be ludicrously high. In Thailand all banks seemed to have agreed to charge foreign cards $6 for a transaction. That is crazy. But you don’t have much leverage.

Schwab, and a few other, financial institution will reimburse you for ATMs fees. Many digital nomad and international travelers make sure to get such an ATM card which is wise.

And you can occasionally find banks that are must more customer friendly. The MayBank in Siem Reap, Cambodia didn’t have ATM charges for me. And I found a bank in Hoi An, Vietnam that didn’t charge either (I can’t remember the name). It may well be that they just didn’t charge do to deals between the banks so I don’t know who else it would work for.

Even though the currency exchange rates are normally not too bad on ATMs or using a credit card they are still weighted in the banks favor. And I don’t know of any banks that disclose how wide a profit margin they take for simple currency transactions (and I am sure it fluctuates depending on the situation).

When you need to transfer money (for example if you are paid in US$ but have a bank account elsewhere or if you are making a big purchase in another location) and convert currencies you can find the financial institutions taking advantage of you. There are several currency exchange services that have stepped into this business opportunity created by the large margins financial institutions have been taking from their customers.

One such service is Transfer Wise. As Transfer Wise says “Banks charge 5% in hidden fees. People on TransferWise pay 0.5%.” While banks might want to argue they don’t disclose the hidden fees and bad exchange rates they use so they don’t have much in the way of an evidence based argument to make.

TransferWise saves you money by matching your money at the mid-market rate. There’s just a small service fee and it’s all shown upfront. You can read more about our pricing here.

To demonstrate the possible savings you’ll get by using TransferWise, an average bank fee and exchange rate is shown. It’s based on independent research from Charterhouse Ltd, obtained on November 2014. The research looked into the costs of sending 1000GBP from a UK bank account, to another bank account in Germany. From this data, other currency route savings, fees and average exchange rates are worked out as well.

They still serve largely the USA and Europe but hopefully will expand further (they are also in India).

CurrencyFair is another good option and they posted a blog post looking at the costs of using old banks and even TransferWise – Money Transfer Companies Compared. The costs (including hidden costs of the banks are huge). The costs between these two are close (Currency Fair said at the time for express service they were significantly cheaper). CurrencyFair is actually a peer to peer service to match people needing to make transfers that balance each other out.

photo of currency: China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, USA

SE Asia, and beyond, currency: China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, USA. USA currency is used in Cambodia for most things and USA currency is used most airports to pay visa fees to the governments. Photo by John Hunter, see more photos of my travels.

If you are moving large amounts of money it definitely makes sense to seek out protection from old fashion banks ripping you off. These are the same banks agreeing to likely over $500 million in fines for currency manipulation (because even these huge profits on the backs of customers couldn’t satisfy bankers demands for multi-million dollar bonus for hundreds of employees at these banks every year).

CurrencyFair offers a peer to peer marketplace that lets you set a offer price and if someone agrees you can even been market exchange rates. Of course, if your currency happens to be a bit under-demand at the time you may get a bit less than market price. TransferWise sets the price based on the forex markets and then it is just up to supply on the demand on their marketplace to determine if you can find someone to take the other side of the trade.

Related: Negative Interest Rates and the US Dollar – Finding an International Business Bank as a Digital Nomad – Credit Card Currency Conversion Costs – MicroFinance Currency Risk – Why the Dollar is Falling (2009)

Motivation and Delivering Solutions When You Work for Yourself

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When you work for a company you have clear expectations for performance. If you become your own boss, for example as a digital nomad, you operate in an system that doesn’t have the same structures to enforce you focus and deliver. In many ways this is exactly what people seeking the digital nomad life want, but it also can bring challenges.

If you find yourself having difficulty getting yourself to work without a boss what can you do?

Doing what you are passionate about is important. As an entrepreneur working for yourself, if you feel work is a chore that you want to avoid, you can easily to avoid it.

But it is likely it isn’t that you want to avoid work, you just don’t have the urgency to “deliver” working solutions quickly without some extrinsic pressure (boss or…).

To do lists work for some people. You focus yourself with specific targets. If that doesn’t work, a virtual assistant to track progress and serve as a personal re-enforcement mechanism can work, for some people. Publicly making a commitment can work for others (on your blog, or on fb or to your customer or to your spouse or parent…).

The virtual assistant is partially a combination of a to do list and a public commitment along with someone to enforce evaluating progress on the to do list.

Habits are a powerful influence on behavior. For some people all that is needed is creating the habit of working in the morning for 4 hours and then enjoying the rest of the day. They can then focus every day for a specific period of time and don’t waste time procrastinating or being distracted with other matters.

For some people setting up rewards for themselves can work. Once I achieve x then I can (get a new game, take a weekend trip to the beach…).

What is important is finding a solution that works for your psychology. Some digital nomads don’t need any of these tactics, but for some these tactics can be useful.

It is possible that the reason you have trouble focusing on work is that you just don’t care about what you are working on now, so you should look at the bigger picture and find something your are passionate about. But I think, in most cases, this type of issue with motivation or difficulty with procrastination is more likely to be a smaller matter of just creating a bit of urgency to deliver.

So the question is how do you do create an urgency to deliver in a way that works for you and leaves you with a situation you enjoy. Certain tactics would drive some people crazy. But what matters if not some perfect solution for everyone, but finding one that works for you.

Related: Finding an International Business Bank as a Digital Nomad – Supporting Virtual Workers – Statistics on Entrepreneurship – Delivering working software (Deming’s ideas on management)

Finding an International Business Bank as a Digital Nomad

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Dealing with banking issues is one of the most difficult aspects of a small digital nomad business. Finding a bank for a small business isn’t easy. Add to that dealing with international banking and things get very challenging.

Finding a bank that will accept deposits via wire, provide a credit card for your business, has good online tools and you trust isn’t easy. I ran across a very useful post recently:

The Best Offshore Banks of 2014 which includes a good deal of information on the 30 best banks according to them, for example:

Butterfield Bank

Established: 1858.
Jurisdictions: Bermuda, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, UK.
Minimum deposit/balance: 5,000 BMD/USD/GBP for business banking, 250 – 500,000 BMD/USD/GBP for private banking.
Personal banking: Residents preferred.
Commercial banking: Yes, international.
Private banking: Quite strong.
Remote account opening: In most cases.
Mobile app: iOS, Android.
Cards: Full coverage, available in USD and GBP.
Website: http://www.butterfieldgroup.com/

All things considered, the finest bank in the Caribbean and Bermuda. 2009 to 2010 were rough years for the bank, but they bounced back to profits by the following year. Although the share price took a massive dip, but the Butterfield signature quality was never compromised.

Card services are some of the best in the region, with two airline partnerships being available (AAirways and British Airways).

Internet banking is strong but the mobile banking app, although light-years ahead of other banks in Bermuda and the Caribbean, leaves a lot to be desired.

It provides enough information for you to screen through and find some good options for you. And then you can do more research and pick one to try out. I would definitely do more research, you shouldn’t trust 1 internet post to find a bank.

Singapore Merlion with the financial district in the backgound

Singapore Merlion with the financial district in the backgound

Finding a bank that accepts EFT deposits from the USA makes a big difference but this can be a challenge. Many internet companies still are stuck a decade or two ago as far as banking is concerned. Many only pay via EFT or check. Some will also pay via paypal. The options are limited for people in many countries (with poor mail system and paypal is also not available to people in many countries).

Of all my efforts in creating a digital nomad existence banking has been by far the biggest negative surprise. It has just been a huge hassle. I may well look to using one of these banks if I can find a better option for me.

Some that look interesting to me for digital nomad businesses are: Butterfield Bank (Bermuda, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, UK), Crèdit Andorrà (Andorra, Panama), DBS Bank (Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia/Labuan, Taiwan), FirstCaribbean International Bank (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands), Standard Bank (Isle of Man, Jersey, Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana, Angola, Singapore, South Africa, UAE)

It has been awhile since I created this blog and haven’t posted to it, but my plan is to be more active posting here in the future.

Related: International Migrants: Economics and Banking – Private Foreign Banking Deposits by Country – The Importance of Long Term Disability Insurance – Going Nomad in SE Asia