A reader, Philip, wanted to know: “Will we see pictures of your new vacation home?” Of course Philip! We’re so excited now that our offer was accepted and can’t wait for everyone to see the new place: What do you think? I did say it was a foreclosure, right? Happy Early April Fools’ Day! I […]
Archive for March, 2011
It’s time for the 2nd quarter 2011 cash rewards credit cards bonuses. Since many credit cards now offer cash back on a rotating quarterly schedule, we have to reorganize each quarter; I’ll remind you which ones we should be using! Today is the day to switch out the old 1st Quarter 5% Rewards and maximize […]
Exploring Vacation Home Tax Rules
Posted byNow that everything is moving quickly on our new vacation home rental, it’s time to talk tax! There are three high level categories for vacation home tax rules based on how often your rent your home and how often use it personally. Rent a Little When You: Rent Your Home 14 Days or Less If […]
Passive income seems like an oxymoron (albeit an intriguing one): how can I earn money while doing nothing? How can anyone earn money while doing nothing? It turns out that one way to earn money while doing nothing is by investing a sum of money in stocks and mutual funds that reap dividends. And the […]
Our Offer Was Accepted!
Posted byAfter making our final offer on a vacation home, we got great news: our offer was accepted! We’re planning to head back down in a couple weeks for the closing. In the mean time, I’m working on getting everything set up for our new vacation home business using many of the suggestions I researched last […]
Credit Sesame Free Credit Score
Posted byCredit Sesame is another option if you are looking for ways to see your credit score for free without having to jump through hoops to cancel a trial service. How to Get Your Free Credit Score Sign up for Credit Sesame. No credit card required! Get your free credit score from Experian. See your credit […]
Making an Offer on a Vacation Home
Posted byWe’re back from our Vacation Home Shopping Trip! And I can’t thank you, my wonderful readers, enough! I took with me all of the data points that readers shared tips for making lowball offers. We finally found a vacation home, that will also double as a rental when we aren’t using it. But it’s not […]
Are You an Innocent Spouse?
Posted byMany married couples file a joint tax return, which means that they report their combined income and deduct their combined allowable expenses on the same tax form. This is because tax liabilities together may be less than tax liabilities if married and filing separately. However, if one spouse falsely fills out tax information or makes […]
What You Need to Know About Tax Losses
Posted byAmong business owners I know, “I can write it off” has become almost a daily refrain. Business owners can definitely deduct legitimate expenses from their income – and in some cases can claim a business loss if expenses exceed income. But not all income tax losses are completely tax deductible. If you have been dragging […]
7 Things To Do With Your Tax Refund
Posted byNow that the IRS has started accepting returns and distributing tax refunds, many of you are receiving large sums of money. If you’re not careful, you can easily sweep this money into your regular spending, earning several hundred to several thousand dollars worth of “extra” income and having nothing to show for it – it’s […]