Archive for January, 2013


Is Your Business Really a Hobby in the Eyes of the IRS?

Posted by Amanda on January 31, 2013

Typically people spend money in order to pursue their hobby: equipment for a sport, ticket fees to events, materials such as yarn and needles for knitting, seeds for a part-time farm, etc. But some hobbies have the added perk of making you money. You have to be careful with this earned income come tax time […]

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How to Save Money on Gas

Posted by Nick on January 30, 2013

Gas is expensive. Wait, what was that? Did I hear a collective “Well duh!” Oh, sorry, I didn’t know it was such a well known fact! All kidding aside, we’re all struggling right now to fill our tanks. I know I cringe whenever I look at that digital screen that tells me how much the […]

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Use Serve to Cash Out Gift Cards via ATM

Posted by Madison on January 29, 2013

Whenever a store offers a bonus to buy a gift card, I take advantage of the deal. For example, I loaded up on $100 Visa gift cards with my Chase Ink Bold card to earn 5% cash back and get the $500 sign up bonus. I also buy gift cards every time I go to […]

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9 Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund Wisely

Posted by Kristen on January 28, 2013

Tax season is a stressful time. With gathering all the documents, waiting on others who have to supply you with these documents, filling out the forms, figuring everything out, and finally calculating your refund it is no wonder why this time is associated with anxiety about taxes. But the light at the end of the […]

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What is the Self Employed Health Insurance Deduction?

Posted by Kristen on January 27, 2013

If you are self-employed or were self-employed during any time of the past year, it is possible that you are able to deduct your medical and dental insurance coverage that you paid for. The tax deduction is called the self employed health insurance deduction. Do I qualify for the self employed health insurance deduction? If […]

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We hope everyone is staying warm in some of the frigid temperatures across the country. Since you may be stuck indoors more than you’d like, take the time to catch up on these great finance articles! Source: jasonbolonski Finance Reads How to Calculate Annual Investment Returns Using XIRR – If you’re trying to calculate your […]

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Chase Slate 15 Month 0% No Fee Balance Transfer

Posted by Madison on January 25, 2013

Every January, the credit card companies do something special, they bring back the no balance transfer fee on 0% balance transfers. I’m guessing the marketing has something to do with New Years resolutions… whatever the reason, we’ll celebrate in Free Money Friday style! Chase Slate is again offering the 0% balance transfer with no balance […]

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What is Form 1040A?

Posted by Kristen on January 24, 2013

Form 1040A is one of the three forms you use to file your federal income tax returns. What is Form 1040A? Form 1040A is slightly more complex than the 1040EZ form, but it is less complex than Form 1040. It is a two-paged form that is easier to fill out than 1040. However, you cannot […]

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Did you know that if someone else claims you as a dependent on their taxes, you might still need to file a tax return? It all depends on whether or not you meet one or some of the criteria in the five dependency tests — relationship, gross income, support, joint return and citizenship/residency. Let’s take […]

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11 Free or Cheap Winter Activities at Home

Posted by Kristen on January 23, 2013

During summer, I’m set. My love for finding fun stuff to do but still saving money is pretty simple. The warm weather makes it easy to swim, go for a bike ride, take long walks or hikes, play tennis, have picnics, and barbecue all outside for free or cheap. But now that it’s winter and […]

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