We got as far as we could yesterday on our taxes. Now I’m going to have to work on a strategy to recharacterize to finish it up. Since the taxes are at a standstill for a few days, I’ve been hard at work crunching the numbers on a possible refinance. Stay tuned as I’ll document both the overly complicated tax filing and the overly complicated refinance! Sensing a theme here?
If you haven’t entered the $50 SmartyPig Gift Card Giveaway be sure to do so before the end of the week.
Also this week, I wrote a guest post at My Two Dollars: Preparing Your Finances for Vacation. Be sure to stop by and check it out!
Here are my favorite articles this week from The Life Skills Network and beyond:
A Reader Question Regarding Self Employment Retirement Plans. I’ve been following the small business retirement series at Chance Favors very closely. Ciaran answers some follow up questions to help you pick the right plan for your small business.
Ten Easy Ways To Be More Green And Help The Environment. Great tips which will save you money. I like the power strip suggestion. Did you know that appliances sometimes use up to 50% of the energy they use while on even when they are off?
The Key to Financial Success. Ron reveals what it is and how to develop it. Want a hint? Think self control.
Please Let Me Talk You Out Of Buying a New Car. It is almost as if Jeff is talking directly to me since we’re still deciding whether a new car or a used one will be the replacement when I sell my car.
The Difference in Being Frugal, and Being Cheap. I think I’m a little of both depending on the situation! Although, I would never consider leaving a 10% tip. Always 20%.
Pulling the Trigger: Raising 401K Contribution to 6%. The article reminds us that you should take advantage of any free money from your employer in the form of a 401k match. Be sure to raise your contribution to get the whole match!
Haven’t Filed Your Taxes Yet? You’re Not Alone! Great, glad to hear that I’m in good company. Maybe it’s because of my vicinity to Chicago, the top city to procrastinate on taxes!
How to Manage Your Asset Allocation With Multiple Accounts. Many people have multiple retirement accounts. Even if you just have 2 (one for each spouse) it is still complicated to match the asset allocation. Be sure to include all of your accounts when allocating to get the most efficient overall portfolio.
Strategies for ETFs and Index Fund. Here’s a new strategy to move to ETFs without a lot of extra work. Maybe one of these days I’ll get around to converting some of our index funds to ETFs.
Finally, More Homemade Cleaners and Homemade car cleaning products. The titles say it all!
I think a lot of people are still waiting to do their taxes! We filed ours, but have yet to actually write the check… I guess we had better do that soon!
Thanks for the mention. 🙂
Thanks a lot for the link!
Good luck with the car decision,
Mike
Thanks for including my article! I wish you luck in making a decision on your next vehicle.
Jeff