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    Tax Bracket Questions

    You're demonstrating a common misconception about tax brackets and tax rates. You don't actually "fall into" a bracket, you are paying tax in all of the brackets up to 28%. Instead you have a marginal tax rate, which is the tax you would pay on the next dollar you make. If you have a salary...
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    ATOT: need advice on mortgage on second property

    I'd imagine this varies by lender. One of my clients is in a somewhat similar situation where they cosigned on a loan and later bought a property to live in. The lender for the second property's mortgage merely wanted proof (copies of checks and/or bank account activity) that the other party...
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    In the market to buy a house *possibly a short sale* what to expect?

    Property Taxes (and homeowners insurance) are generally paid directly by the homeowner unless their Lender requires an escrow. Unless you are lazy, you ALWAYS want to pay this yourself rather than an escrow as the bank will usually have to estimate a portion of the year's taxes and you're...
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    If you are going to lie about jury duty, don't explain how on the air.

    Every county in NJ provides free parking to Jurors. They will validate your parking stub when you are dismissed for the day. The part that really stinks is that the $5 will probably cover your gas/tolls and not even lunch. I was lucky enough to have free coffee last time and considered...
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    Drive 12miles to avoid a $13 toll?

    Sure sounds like it. Is this commute happening today? If so, definitely cut through Manhattan and take the Holland tunnel as nobody is on the road. On any non-holiday weekday and most weekend days this trip is going to vary, but be forewarned that going from Brooklyn to the Holland tunnel can...
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    What would you do in this lame situation?

    I think the short answer is: this commute is never going to be great, but what's the big deal? First off, I think you're definitely exaggerating the time of the commute. If you grab the A train up to 175th, you can hop on any of the "spanish buses" that leave from the GWB Port Authority...
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    Do home sales have to be recorded with the county or city?

    Technically speaking, you record your deed to put the world on notice that you are the owner of said property. Your lender AND title company will certainly require it, and even if they don't, this is protecting your rights. The actual purchase is legally and complete prior to the recording...
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    Room-mate issue: Moving out early

    If your only question is whether this is fair, then sure, it is fair. Your roommate/friend might say, no it's not fair, though. You've clearly lived in the apartment longer than him, you may have caused damage either before he moved in and you may still create more damages after he moves out...
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    Please, Need some help with apartment issues, roomate being unreasonable

    Essentially do this, only in letter form. Include information explaining where you were those days/nights during the time in question. If you were asleep, point that out and if you were not in the apartment, point that out as well. Make sure to include the fact that you were not approached by...
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    Visiting NYC for the 1st time next month

    A few thoughts/tips: 1. If you don't want to deal with a commute, staying in NYC is your best bet, but as others have pointed out you can save some money by staying in NJ. If you're interested in staying in NJ there are quite a few hotels in Fort Lee, NJ, and while I'm guessing they won't...
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    who has jurisdiction while "in between" state borders?

    These are easy. If you commit a crime in a state you can be charged there. If you're in two states, you can be charged in both. If you commit a crime in State A and the crime itself occurs in State B, you can be charged in both. If you're standing on the NJ side of the Hudson with a...
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    who has jurisdiction while "in between" state borders?

    There is no "in between". I grew up about 2 blocks from the GWB and I've been on it probably hundreds if not thousands of times. If you actually look for it, there is a spot roughly in the middle of the bridge designating where the NY/NJ border is. FWIW, as a practical matter, you generally...
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    Cop wrongfully ticketed me for skipping a red light

    The short answer is that there is no best way, because the cop is most likely going to say he had a clear view of you going through the red light. For starters, why don't you go back to the scene with a camera and photograph the intersection as well as the position the officer was in when you...
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    Restarting @ age 30...do I have hope?

    When I went to law school, many if not most of the students were over age 30. Many of them were on their second career. We had a few military guys, some doctors, a semi-pro soccer player, a restaurant/bar/club owner, a chemist, a few teachers, etc.. So as far as your age and your background...
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    Anyone have any spare G+ invites?

    Seems to me like you can invite as long as you have already joined. Haven't tried to invite anyone, but if you PM me your email you can be the guinea pig.
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    ATOT mortgage gurus, lend me your ears

    The only problem with the above is that at least in theory it could trigger a mortgage acceleration clause and it could also violate your Mortgagor's Affidavit of Title, depending on what the bank required before the loan closed. I've never heard of anyone trying to do what you're describing...
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    Has anyone ever known a murder victim or murderer?

    An old roommate of mine and some of his friends were out at the bars one night when they saw a few kids get jumped by a larger group of kids (the bigger group was believed to be gang-related). One of the guys with my roommate went over to help somebody up off the ground and he was hit in the...
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    Joke: Why were the six men jerking off at the same time?

    It seems pretty obvious to me that "vasec" was a poor abbreviation for vasectomy. The joke is flawed for other reasons to me, namely that "Obamacare" refers to a federal statute that details health care reform while Blue Cross is a health care provider. You can't "have Obamacare" that just...
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    How much is your favorite 6 pack of beer?

    At home I usually pick up Leffe or Brooklyn Brewery's IPA. Leffe is around $10 and the Brooklyn IPA is $9. I end up buying and drinking more beer in Brooklyn, though, and the prices there are pretty inflated: Brooklyn Brewery 6-packs for $12 (cheaper in NJ than within 10 blocks of the...
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    Head shops in the US, where do they stand?

    Ok, so first off, do headshops exist? Short answer is absolutely. The long answer is that it pretty much varies by location as well as by degree. For instance, when I was in college there was a local tobacco shop. I went there with my roommate because we heard they sold hookahs there and he...
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    Request for thoughts on a sensitive situation.

    The correct way to deal with an estate is to pay all bills and funeral costs prior to distribution as I'm sure others have already or will point out. Generally speaking, there are two ways of splitting up an intestate (no will) estate and the correct way varies depending on where the deceased...
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    When pulled over, do you have the right to contact legal representation?

    In theory, yes. In practice, maybe. Lets say you wanted to challenge any evidence recovered/discovered in said illegal search: You'd make a motion to suppress said evidence arguing a violation of your 4th Amendment Rights. In this case, you're got a pretty clear standard on your reasonable...
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    Proof of God?

    I'm not sure which one of us is more confused right now. Are you not aware that both Princeton and Rutgers Universities are considered to be very prestigious Philosophy programs? They're both generally ranked in the top 5 Philosophy programs in the country and last time I checked both were...
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    Proof of God?

    As someone who studied Philosophy I can assure you that many Philosophy majors have trouble with this argument. I remember it from my 17th Century Philosophy course where it was attributed to Descartes. Of course, Descartes version is a bit simpler. The basic idea: 1. God is a perfect...
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    What's your cake eating style? (with poll)

    I worked in a bakery in NJ (about .5 miles out of NYC) when I was younger. I also largely don't like typical layer cakes or the accompanying frosting. Why? Well it's just a matter of the ingredients. Your typical layer cake has yellow or chocolate cake (generally three or more 'slices'), one...
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    So, I'm going to be 30.

    Does it really feel like a big deal to you? I'm turning 30 this Saturday and it just feels like another birthday, maybe that's a little sad I don't know. A lot of my friends and family have been pointing it out like it's a big deal, but it seems like just another arbitrary year. Not that I...
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    Vodka in freezer, how cold is too cold?

    I was at a bar that used liquid nitrogen for some of the drinks and I was curious if the bartender had ever used it to freeze 80 proof liquors before....he proceeded to make some frozen tequila and frozen vodka with strawberries in it for some of the girls hanging out. The nitrogen evaporated...
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    Why don't the brits understand freedom of speech?

    Oddly enough there is a proposed bill right now in NJ about making it illegal to photograph (and presumably film) children without their parent's consent. That would make it a crime to, say, take a picture of your own kids in the park if other kids were in the shot. Many people think this law...
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    what's the ghetto-est area in your state?

    Actually now that you mention it, I've been to some stores in Paterson and that part of the city is really not bad at all...I just think of it as a different place. A lot of stores go up in these cities because of the Urban Enterprise Zone subsidies and sales tax breaks...but how are we really...
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    what's the ghetto-est area in your state?

    Problem with say, Jersey City or Newark is that they both have some pretty nice areas as well as the bad areas. Paterson is definitely NOT a nice place to live and you're not going to find anything like Grove St./Exchange place in Jersey City or even anything like the Ironbound or downtown...
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    How to avoid paying rent for 19 years...

    In order to be eligible to sit for the NJ BAR Exam, one must have received a J.D. from an ABA approved law school. I doubt that he is interested in paying for or sitting through 3 years of law school or that he could have the requirement waived. Besides, his kinds of tactics wouldn't...
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    bad final exam score, talk to the prof?

    In my first semester of college I thought I was failing a course I needed for my intended major and wanted to find out asap so I could hold onto my textbook and/or redo my schedule over winter break. I fired off a relatively short email to the prof explaining exactly what the issue was, fully...
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    Things to do, eat, and see in NYC as a resident..........?

    Pizza: I don't know any specific places. I honestly just look around and eat whatever looks good. Maybe I'm not typical for a local, but I think there's plenty of good and bad pizza in the area but I've rarely heard of anything "special" (although I have heard Grimaldi's in Brooklyn mentioned...
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    Lost S3 Spoiler Warning

    My take on that scene was that SOMEONE had to be in that room after Mikhail's grenade in order to relay the message that the freighter was "NOT Penny's boat". If memory serves, if he hadn't shut himself in to "save" Desmond, they both would have been able to grab some SCUBA gear, but regardless...
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    I Think The Judge Thought I Was An Abomination

    I think you probably agree that in a perfect system, with just laws, jury nullification should never occur. It only makes sense if the laws or they way they are enforced are not "fair". That's obviously subjective, though. I think it's pretty clear to a lot of people that, for various...
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    I Think The Judge Thought I Was An Abomination

    If he actually believes what he told the judge, yes. If he's trying to get out of jury duty, no.
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    Terminator Chronicles on SyFy

    I liked that show a lot, but my opinion of it was always that about 1/3 of the episodes were just terrible. There were a few episodes in the first season, and a bunch in the second, that really made the show worth watching, but due to the expected cancellation even the series finale was a mess...
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    Do you like eating chicken feet?

    I've never eaten chicken feet. Doesn't seem like my thing, but I don't know that I'd refuse. I have eaten things like cow tongue and head cheese though. My dad used to buy head cheese a lot when I was a kid and I remember thinking the gelatin made it look appealing to me and it was just a...
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    Serious question about having someone evicted

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging you or your neighbor, we certainly don't know the full story. We obviously don't want one time criminals to never be able to rehabilitate themselves. A childhood friend of mine had some drug issues and now has a criminal record (felonies). He can't vote and...
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    Serious question about having someone evicted

    FWIW, I was going to ask you the same thing. I wasn't sure whether you wanted the guy to stay or to be evicted, but I was certainly guessing the former. Where I live, a sex offender has to notify their neighbors within a certain distance when they move in. A few years back the police...